


A Gear of Fortune

by Sorakh28



Series: The SuAU Projects [1]
Category: Persona 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Don’t copy to another site, Family Feels, Featuring Lore from Persona 3/4/5, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Justifying Gameplay, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Pop Culture References Galore, Potty Mouths Everywhere, Recycled and Reused Innocent Sin Elements Featured, Self-Indulgent, The Suou brothers deserves happiness and their family, so many music references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2019-11-01 23:45:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17877044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorakh28/pseuds/Sorakh28
Summary: If the sin never existed, why must the punishment persist?High school student Suou Tatsuya and magazine editor Amano Maya finds themselves entangled in a web of odd personal connections, meta-physical powers and reality-bending rumors as they tries to navigate the truths behind the JOKER rumor; alongside Tatsuya's detective brother Suou Katsuya, Maya's roommate Serizawa Ulala and the mysterious Baofu, they'll have to use the power of Persona- and a gear left behind a decade ago.Proofread/edited with the assistance of Fëanen.





	1. ...But committed no crime.

**Author's Note:**

> If the sin never existed, why must the punishment persist?
> 
> This fanfic explores the plot of Eternal Punishment without the interference of Innocent Sin, with changes made to accommodate the missing pieces.

**Sumaru City, Japan, August 13 th 1989  
Araya Shrine**

“Hey, Tatsuya!” A small hand rose up in the air, presenting a thick gear that seems like it would be from a _karakuri_ puppet. “Look at this! It was right next to that pillar of the shrine!”

The other boy blinked and approached his friend. “Hey, maybe it’s that gear thing _tou-san_ said went missing from this shrine some time ago. He said some lady took the puppet that once stayed here to get it fixed, but it’s been like, I dunno… something like twenty years? He said something about before _nii-kun_ was born, so yeah, it’s been a long time.”

“Hmm…” The first boy stared at the gear. “You should have it, Tatsuya.”

“Huh?! W-wait, Takkun…”

“That lady met your _papa_ , right? If you’re the one who has it, it would be easier for her to get it back, since all she needs to do is find your house!”

Tatsuya rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, if you think so, Takuya…” He then nodded, with a grin on his face. “Alright, let’s get this back to that lady!”

With a grin himself, Takuya presented him the gear. “Here you go, then! Make sure you keep it safe until that lady comes back, alright?”

A slight chuckle came out of the other boy as he took it. “Of course- it’s a promise.”

**August 13 th 1999**

“Takuya… can you hear me?”

Only the cicadas answered the youth’s question. He bowed his head, staring at the green mask in his hands.

“I’m still hanging on to that promise, but…” He took a shaky breath, gripping the mask tighter. “It’s not the same without you.” He stroked the gear he had made a pendant of with his fingers, the coolness of the metal passing through his dress shirt. “You’d think, after ten years, I’d…”

He dropped to his knees, dropping the mask, and pounded his fists against the ground as sobs and tears overwhelmed him. “It’s not fair!” he wailed, his voice cracking into a higher pitch. “It’s not fair… why…”

“I’m sorry I made you wait for so long.”

He jerked his head up at the sound and looked around the area, but saw nothing but a monarch butterfly fluttering by.

_Monarch butterflies don’t live in Japan._

He took a deep breath, grabbing the gear once more. “I know your voice… but from where?”

 

**Sumaru City, Japan, September 10 th, 1999  
Seven Sisters High School, Bike Racks**

“Son of a-” Curse cut short with a frustrated grunt, a young man of 18 years smacked the motorcycle in front of him, before standing up and grabbing his cellphone to dial a mechanic. “Hey, it’s Suou, thinking one of my spark plugs’ broken. I can’t start my bike at all.” He bit his lower lip before speaking again. “Nah, don’t worry about it, just bring it to my place. I’ve got spares at home.” He listened again to the mechanic. “Thanks, you’re a life saver. Bye, Akiyama.”

“Oh, Tatsuya-sempai!” The young man turned around, ending the call, spotting a fellow student approaching him. “Got a problem with your bike today?”

“Got the mechanic to come and get it, yeah,” he admitted. He brought his hand into his pocket, feeling the cool metal of a Zippo lighter against his fingers. He sighed a breath of relief. “You need anything, Lisa-kun?”

“Not really, I was about to head to work. I just noticed that you weren’t gone yet.” She was obviously trying not to bounce on her feet. “So, uh, do you mind if we both go take the train together? I mean, if that’s okay with you, of course!”

He looked over to his bike for a moment, then back to her. “I guess we could go to the station. I don’t think we’re gonna have the same route.”

“Oh, right, your home’s in Hirasaka, I forgot about that.” Lisa perked up again. “Going to the station’s fine with me, sempai! It’s just, it’s been such a _long_ time since we’ve talked to each other, and I thought maybe we could catch up!”

He sighed as he brought his book bag over his shoulder. “There isn’t much to catch up about, Lisa-kun- nothing really changed since the Masked Circle split up, just that I got older and got a job at the music shop, that’s all.”

She nodded as they began to walk out of the area. “I guess that’s true…”

 

**Rengedai District**

“…So long story short, my bike’s a legal Yamaha and Honda hybrid,” Tatsuya explained as they approached the station. “The former owner’s known for making them out of junk bikes- in fact, that’s why the shop’s called Frankenbikes.”

“Does the owner like English literature? Fan of Frankenstein?” Lisa asked, looking over to him.

“Oh yeah, he’s a big fan of the classic, black and white horror movies,” he replied, adjusting his book bag. “But funny enough, he prefers the novels over the movies if they exist- said something about movies missing important information the books have.”

Lisa nodded. “Well, it’s kinda expected, you can’t put all the information found in a book into a movie. A TV show would work instead.” She winked at him. “Penguins with guns.”

Tatsuya groaned, rolling his eyes, and yet his lips twitched to form a smile. “I guess it’s not a Suou family joke anymore. Cyborg 009, how much I-”

He was interrupted by walking straight into another person, stumbling onto the ground as their belongings fell down to the same area.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” he told the other person after shaking his head clear from the accident. “I wasn’t paying-” The rest of the sentence got caught in his throat as he recognized, among a dozen or so sheets of loose paper, a stuffed toy bunny in front of him. A nostalgic object that surely couldn’t…

“Mr. BunBun?” He gently picked up the toy before looking at the person he had stumbled into. She had changed so much, she would’ve be unrecognizable if it weren’t for her eyes; eyes that smiled alongside her lips. “…Maya-nee…?” he asked, a tremble in his voice.

Her smile grew bigger. “Hello, Tatsuya-kun.”

His face went beet red, and slowly he realized they weren’t alone. Lisa was still around, yes, but so were a few old friends. Jun and Eikichi must’ve taken the station from Hirasaka to come here- Jun, to come find his father at Sevens, and Eikichi to meet up with his girlfriend, Miyabi. With Maya was another lady, who was shaking her head and came over to help sort out Maya’s papers.

No one saw the Monarch butterfly perched on a nearby light.

“Ma-Maya-nee,” Tatsuya repeated, his hand twitching around Mr. BunBun. “I… You… Since when did you…”

“It’s been a while,” she admitted. “It slipped my mind to contact you guys, but hey, we’re all here again!”

Tatsuya looked down, looking at the toy in his hand, hearing the others greeting Maya gleefully. “Not all,” he mumbled to himself, before returning his gaze to his old friend. “Hey… sorry to cut this short, Maya-nee, but my bike’s gonna be towed back to my place, and I don’t wanna keep Akiyama late for his payment.” He carefully placed the old toy into Maya’s arms. “Here’s Mr. BunBun back… it was nice to see you again. I just…” He stood up, fixing his book bag. “I’m busy right now. I’ll catch up some other time…” He stared at the assembled group, but his eyes wouldn’t meet anybody else’s. “I’ll catch up with all of you. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a train to catch. See you around.”

He shoved his hand into the pocket that held the lighter, rubbing his fingers against the cool metal as he walked into the station. He got his ticket at the automatic kiosk and went to find where his train would arrive. The blaring music was some sort of saccharine idol song from a one-hit wonder.

The train stopped in front of him and opened its doors. The song faded, and taking its place was the haunting voice of Freddie Mercury, singing one of his favorite Queen songs.

_I’ve paid my dues  
Time after time_

He entered the train.

_I’ve done my sentence  
But committed no crime_

The door to the train closed, silencing ‘We Are The Champions.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics: We Are The Champion- Queen  
> The original version of this story featured colored text. It has been since replaced with underline.


	2. Things aren't half as bad when somebody cares

**Sumaru City, Japan, September 30 th, 1999  
Kismet Publishing**

Closing the door behind her, Amano Maya sighed as she slumped against it. Her day may have started out great, but it took a turn to the worst when she received that infamous JOKER letter warning that she was a target. And now, her boss Mizuno was on her case about that article on nostalgia. It was something inspired by Maya’s own experience, after meeting the four kids she used to hang out with the first time she lived in Sumaru. What exactly was wrong with telling kids that nostalgia isn’t a bad thing, as long as you’re not too attached to the past? Then again, Maya saw some details about how COOLEST was doing, and the numbers didn’t look well. No wonder Mizuno seemed stressed.

Talking to the students of Seven Sisters High School about JOKER was the new given task. In fact, two of her old friends were currently students at that high school. She decided it would be useful if she talked to her old partner, Mayuzumi Yukino, as Yukki’s former teacher was now at Sevens- perhaps she’d get the O.K. to interview the students through Yukki.

Indeed, once she got Yukki to calm down about the whole Mizuno thing, (‘Hey, don’t worry about it, I can manage more hours of work!’), Maya managed to get what she needed. Now, it was time to deal with the last hurdle- telling her roommate she still had work to do. And that one would be a challenge, especially since said roommate had specific plans for tonight.

“Maaya! Over here!” Serizawa Ulala waved towards Maya once her friend reached the main floor of the building via elevator, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Come on, we’re gonna be late to the party! We can’t make all those single men wait for us, now, can we?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Maya answered, looking disappointed, but not in the way Ulala probably thought she would be. “Looks like I’ve gotta continue working today.”

“ _Seriously_?” her roommate cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s not because you wanna skip the party? Is it that high schooler you’ve seen-”

Maya interrupted her by making a stop motion with her hand. “Ulala, Tatsuya-kun has nothing to do with this, and I’m not exactly interested in dating someone who’s still in high school, anyway. Though, his school _is_ where I’m supposed to go for work- Mizuno-san wanted me to interview the students there about that JOKER curse going around.”

Ulala’s shoulders slumped. “So you were being serious,” she realized out loud, before perking up again. “Hey, what if I help you out? Things would go twice as fast, and we’ll have time to go the party after you’re done! As long as all the good men aren’t taken, we’ll be fine!”

The answer was a shrug. “Eh, why not? It’d make the task less boring, and there’s sure to be questions you can think up to ask I can’t.”

“Alright, let’s go, let’s go! There’s no time to waste!”

 

**Rengedai Ward**

“Hey, Maaya?”

“Yeah?”

“It feels like that motorcycle’s been following us towards the school for a while now,” Ulala pointed out, discreetly showing the vehicle to her friend. Maya looked over, doing a double take at the sight.

“I don’t think he’s following us, just that our destination is the same one,” she deduced.

“What makes you say that?”

“I recognized the jacket- it’s the same one Tatsuya-kun modeled for the clothing store _L’Oiseau Au Vent_ ,” Maya realized. “That’s probably him.”

“Wait, hold on, he was one of the models for _L’Oiseau_? Seriously?!” Ulala looked over to the stopped motorcyclist waiting for the lights to change, tapping his fingers against one of the handles as if playing a piano. “Awww, I can’t see his face. I only saw one poster promoting _L’Oiseau_ ’s current lineup, but I don’t remember seeing a guy wearing that jacket in it.”

The stoplight changed to go, the signals indicating the right of way to the pedestrians- the two ladies and the motorcyclist went off to the massive building nearby, the young man riding his way into the bike lot of the high school. Maya gestured to Ulala to follow him; when they arrived to where he was stationed, he was off his motorcycle, stuffing his keychain into his jacket pocket. He glanced over to them upon hearing their footsteps.

The motorcyclist removed his helmet, confirming his identity- Suou Tatsuya _was_ a student of Seven Sisters, after all. But why wasn’t he already in school?

Once the duo approached him, he bowed his head in greetings, his expression neutral as possible. “Maya-nee,” he spoke, trying to keep his voice calm and even. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here at Sevens, are you here for work?”

“You’re right on the nose,” Maya told him. “I’ve been asked to interview the students about JOKER.” Tatsuya paled upon hearing the name, grasping the nearest handle of his motorcycle. A sliver of brown leather peeked out of his sleeve.

“JOKER’s the reason I’m here, too. I had to stop coming to school for a while, but I heard a friend of mine might’ve gotten involved in that mess.” He let go of the handle. “If you’d like, I can bring you to the Faculty Room.”

Maya gave him a smile. “That’d be great, Tatsuya-kun! Thanks for your help!” The youth’s cheeks turned pinker in response.

 

**Seven Sisters High School**

“So, you’re roommates with Maya-nee,” Tatsuya said to Ulala as he guided the duo towards the Faculty Room. Maya had introduced him to her friend, explaining how he was a childhood friend that she lost contact with when she moved.

“Yeah, I am,” Ulala clarified before smirking slightly. “Maaya never told me she knew such a cute guy! I bet all the girls here swoon over you!”

He blinked, blushing. “Well, I _do_ get a lot of chocolates at Valentine’s, if that’s what you’re thinking about. I don’t… really pay attention to that sort of thing.” He stopped in front of a pair of doors, a sign above denoting that the Faculty Room was on the other side. Voices could be heard inside the room, which Tatsuya’s eyebrows furrowed at.

“Just like I thought, _aniki_ ’s here,” he mumbled loud enough to be heard.

“That’s right, I forgot you have an older brother,” Maya realised. “Why would he be here, Tatsuya-kun?”

The youth sighed. “Katsuya-niisan’s a homicide detective assigned to the JOKER case,” he explained. “We don’t get along well, but he still worries over my well-being, and I haven’t seen or talked to him for weeks.” He pursed his lips. “I guess it’s now or never… He’s got the right to know I’m okay.” After taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the door.

When the trio entered the room, it was to the sight of two policemen talking to a teacher. One of the men shared the same hair color as Tatsuya, and what seemed to be a similar hairstyle. Tatsuya excused himself for interrupting them, attracting the attention of the teacher and policemen. Once they looked over to him, the resemblance between the two Suou brothers became more obvious.

The teacher was the first to speak. “Tatsuya-kun?! Oh, I’m so glad you’re alright!” She approached him and took his offered helmet to place it on a desk. “Everyone here was so worried about you when you stopped coming to school!”

“I’m sorry, Saeko-sensei,” Tatsuya said. “I heard something happened with Anna, so I came here to check on her. Is she all right?”

“About that,” the policeman assisting Katsuya began, “the man who ran over her just became JOKER’s victim. Do you believe she could have contacted JOKER for a hit?”

Tatsuya turned pale again. “I hope not, the last time we spoke I told her not to contact them. Especially after what happened to me…” His hand brushed against his jeans pocket.

“So you did warn her against it,” the other policeman noted. “Very well, then, I’ll be off to continue with the investigation. Sergeant Suou, I believe you’d be wanting to catch up with your brother, but don’t forget you’ve got work to do as well.”

“I’m well aware,” the older Suou sibling said firmly. Once his co-worker left the room, he approached his younger brother with furrowed eyebrows. “Tatsuya.” There was a slight tremble in his voice. Tatsuya answered silently by looking away, towards the ground. Katsuya exhaled. “Tatsuya, I’m not going to interrogate you, or anything like that. Father told me what happened to you, like you asked, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

The youth nodded. “Sorry, I’m just…” He took a deep breath. “I’m just too used of you nagging me.” He glanced up to his brother. “Can we talk in the hall?” he offered.

“If that will make you feel more comfortable, then we might as well.” Katsuya turned to Saeko-sensei. “Thank you for your assistance. If you’ll excuse Tatsuya and me…” He gently grabbed Tatsuya’s shoulder and led him out of the room.

Once the brothers were a good distance away in the hall, the younger one pulled out a lighter from his pocket and begun to flick it. Katsuya frowned, his grip at the shoulder tightening. “Easy now, Tatsuya, I’m right here.” He pulled Tatsuya closer against him, rubbing his thumb at the youth’s shoulder blade. “You’re safe.”

“Ye-yeah, I know. I’m just… still overwhelmed and shit.” Tatsuya rested his head on his brother’s shoulder. “I, um… I owe you an apology, for making you worry. You had every right to know where I was…”

“It’s quite alright, Tatsuya,” Katsuya told him. “You were simply being cautious. Like I said, Father explained to me why you had to keep a low profile for your own sake.”

“He spoke to you, too, huh. That’s good.” With a sigh, Tatsuya brought his arm around Katsuya’s shoulders. “I kinda missed you, you know? I thought I’d be happy without any contact from you, but I was actually miserable. I think… I missed hearing your voice.” The youth gripped his brother’s jacket. “I’m so glad you’re not angry at me.”

Katsuya looked at him, then gently stroked the back of Tatsuya’s head. “There’s nothing for me to be angry at, Tatsuya. Just knowing you’re safe and sound makes me the happiest I’ve ever been.” The detective looked over to his brother’s right arm. “I don’t remember you mentioning that you were injured.”

There was a blink before the youth lifted his head to face him. “Sorry?”

“You have something on your arm, Tatsuya. It’s brown.”

“…Oh.” He lifted said arm, exposing more of the bracer he was wearing. “I’m not wounded, I just…” He shifted the angle so a familiar trinket was visible on the bracer. “I found something new to wear my gear with.” He paused, his eyes clouding. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

“I won’t ask more, then.” Katsuya patted the younger Suou’s shoulder. “Do you feel up to going to your classroom? I need to gather more information for the case.”

Tatsuya lifted his head to face him. “I guess as long as I stick with you, I’ll be fine.”

With a nod, Katsuya, smiled. “Then let’s go together, brother.”

 

Meanwhile, Maya and Ulala were talking to Saeko-sensei about the reason why they were at Sevens in the first place, which the teacher had been made aware of by Yukki.

“You have our permission to interview the students,” Saeko-sensei confirmed. “They’re still a little rattled over what’s been recently revealed, so please, be a little courteous.”

“I know it’s not exactly any of my business,” Maya began, “but does it have anything to do with why Tatsuya-kun wasn’t at school lately?”

The frown on the teacher’s face deepened. “From what I know, Tatsuya-kun ended up being under police protection. It’s not clear why, but rumor has it JOKER was involved somehow. We had to tell him what his school work was through his voice mail.” She shook her head. “I’m glad he’s around and about. It doesn’t do well for anyone to stay cooped up inside.”

Another teacher approached them, gesturing to the door the brothers left through. “And it’s better he’s with Katsuya-kun,” the new man explained. “Both the familiarity and the fact that his brother is armed should help Tatsuya-kun outside of his temporary safehouse.” He paused and leaned towards Maya. “I’ll be upfront- if they won’t talk about JOKER, it’s very likely the other students will talk about Tatsuya-kun. He’s not known as the Seven Sisters Superstar for nothing.”

“Superstar?” Ulala repeated.

“Tatsuya-kun is always within the top ten of scoring lists. He’s known for owning both a motorcycle and a lighter, while still being responsible and law-abiding, and there’s his talents with a guitar. He tends to give a stoic, disinterested, seemingly absent-minded personality, but he’s actually a kind, caring young man.” His face clouded. “The last decade has been unkind to him, and even now, he still has a hard time making friends.”

“Because of the fallout of Takuya-kun’s death,” Maya realized. The man did a double take before smiling.

“Oh, I thought your name sounded familiar when Saeko-kun talked about your arrival!” He bowed his head. “I’m not sure if you remember me… I’m Kashihara Akinari, Jun’s father. It’s good to see you again, Amano-kun.”

She bowed as well. “The same to you, Kashihara-san. I’m sorry for cutting this short, but I’d better start interviewing the students.”

“Of course, I understand. Good luck, Amano-kun.”

 

“Hey, hey, Miss Journalist, did you hear?”

Maya blinked as a first-year seemed to cozy up next to her. “Hear what, exactly?” she asked, pen suspended between her fingers.

“About our Superstar!” the first-year grinned, gesturing the ceiling with his head. “Well, it’s more of a rumor,” he then covered the side of his mouth as if hiding it from his classmates, “but word on the street’s that Suou-sempai’s gear pendant has special powers that punish their users if they use it for bad things. Considering _sempai_ ’s luck…” He mock shivered at his words. “He really needs to be careful with that pendant!”

 

“Wait, care repeating that to me again?” Ulala asked a different first-year in the next class they stopped by. “Maaya, you have to hear this.”

The girl shuffled her feet. “Well, uh, it’s more of a rumor, but apparently someone in this school called JOKER on Suou-sempai because they were jealous of his popularity, and that’s why he had to lay low for a good while.”

Maya frowned. “Does anyone know who did it?”

“No one came forward because _sempai_ ’s still alive, and they might be worried he’ll retaliate. _Sempai_ ’s known for being terrifying when angry,” the girl explained.

Maya pursed twitching lips, her eyes betraying the glint of amusement welling up within her. “His temper _is_ legendary, isn’t it?”

The girl looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

“Journalism secret,” the editor answered, placing a finger against her lips.

 

The second-years were also into tales about Tatsuya, as another girl started to tell one when addressed.

“Any rumors you’ll hear around here about JOKER are the same story, so let me tell you about Suou-sempai, our school Superstar. Apparently, his popularity doesn’t stop here at Sevens- the students at Kasu, our rival school, hold him in high regard and give him an exemption from their usual acts towards us.” The girl chewed on her lower lip. “No one knows why, though. You’d think it’s because of their leader, Mishina, but he only started going to Kasu this year. Rumor has it they still remember _sempai_ ’s bully hunting days.”

Ulala turned to Maya. “He was a bully hunter?!”

“That’s how I know about his temper,” Maya explained. “Even in the middle school I went to when I lived here, everyone knew _not_ to cross Suou Tatsuya. I guess it was a lesson well learned if he stopped.”

 

“JOKER? I don’t do urban legends,” another second-year noted as he sat at his desk. “Now, anything involving our Superstar? That, I’m an expert about.”

“There’s a lot of talk about him around the school,” Ulala mused as she looked around the classroom.

The student laughed. “That’s why he’s the Superstar in the first place! Well, since you came all the way here for JOKER info, and I don’t have any, I might as well tell you something about Suou-sempai. Well, and Suou-sempai’s older brother.” He leaned back in his chair. “He was a Sevens student as well, and because the brothers’ name are so alike, his old teachers tend to call _sempai_ with his brother’s name.”

“Katsuya and Tatsuya,” Maya absent-mindedly mentioned. “Easy mistake to make when you say their names. Writing their names, on the other hand, you can tell who’s who just by kanji alone.”

The student merely blinked at that revelation. “Old friends with them?” he asked.

“Something like that, yeah,” she answered. “It makes sense that would happen, even if they’re years apart.”

 

The first third year classroom they visited didn’t have any signs of Tatsuya or his brother around. After interviewing the students in the classroom, one of them disclosed where the siblings could be, Tatsuya’s classroom. “I passed by Suou-kun and his brother when I came here from the restroom. I think they’re still there,” he mentioned. With thanks, Maya and Ulala went off to Classroom 3-B.

 

**Classroom 3-B**

The Suou brothers were indeed where the student said they would be, listening to one Tatsuya’s classmates on some subject the newcomers couldn’t catch yet.

“Let’s talk to the other students before talking to Tatsuya-kun again,” Maya suggested to Ulala.

“Alright, works for me.”

Thankfully, there wasn’t any gossip about Tatsuya this time around. Students were more concerned about where he was when he stopped going to school, if he could be a JOKER target, and if it was possible Anna called JOKER on the guy who ran her over. There were also comments on Tatsuya’s seeming absent-mindedness.

By the time Maya and Ulala had finished interviewing Tatsuya’s classmates, the brothers were free to talk. “How’s the investigation going, Sergeant Suou?” Maya asked.

Katsuya looked over to her, one eyebrow cocked. “…The two of you were with my brother at the Faculty Room,” he recalled.

“Right, _aniki_ , I think you remember Maya-nee? Amano Maya?” Tatsuya put a hand on her shoulder. “She was the Blue Swan of the Masked Circle, you’ve met her before.”

The older brother’s eyes widened. “A-Amano-kun… It’s, uh, it’s nice to see you again,” he told her with a bow, adjusting his glasses after the gesture. “What brings you here?”

“Work, really. I was asked to interview the students about JOKER’s curse. I overheard you being here for JOKER, too.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m glad the police are looking into this matter.”

“I’m hoping to solve this in the near future,” Katsuya firmly announced. “All of Sumaru is in danger with Suspect #501 on the loose.”

“He’s numbered and everything… so the police have been on the case for a while, then,” Maya realized.

Tatsuya nodded, hands in his pockets. “Yeah, once there was enough evidence that the JOKER killings were legit a while ago, they made _aniki_ focus on that matter. Homicide _is_ his specialty, after all.”

“Right, you mentioned that before we entered the Faculty Room,” Ulala noted. “Oh, right, introductions. I’m Serizawa Ulala, Maaya’s roommate. I’m helping her out with her job to make things easier,” she explained, then bowed. “It’s nice to meet you, Detective Suou.”

“Likewise, Serizawa-kun,” Katsuya bowed as well.

The student the brothers were talking to came forward. “I bet you also heard all the talk on Tatsuya; really, don’t pay attention to them, they just like to gossip for gossip’s sake. Though, he does have good reasons to be considered the most popular guy in school.” He looked over to Tatsuya. “Have you contacted that girl you’re tutoring since you went under police protection?”

Tatsuya’s face twisted in a comical grimace. “No, I haven’t talked to Éloise since! But I did ask _oyaji_ to update her family about me, so she knows I’m okay.” He scratched his cheek. “I could call her once the investigation’s done… thanks for reminding me, Masaru.”

Maya did a double take, then looked closer at the other student. “…Inoue Masaru? You’ve grown a lot since the last I saw you…”

“Hah, you can thank Tatsuya here for that,” Masaru admitted with a grin. “We still don’t consider each other friends, but he’s been a positive influence on me for a good while.”

“Hey,” Tatsuya started to blush, “that positive influence started out when I took my bully hunting…” He stopped himself, hiding his face with his jacket. “When I took that to a bad level.”

Katsuya nodded, his expression clouding. “I didn’t realized it at the time, but… you were lashing out for a good reason.”

Masaru mimicked the detective. “Took me a while to realize what was going on, too, but for different reasons.” He then returned to his grin. “Anyway, nice to see you again, Amano-san.” He pointed over to Tatsuya with his thumb. “Would you be surprised to know that he was Boy A from the Fuchizaki scandal?”

Ulala’s eyes and mouth went wide. “No, you’re pulling my leg! Tatsuya-kun was Boy A?!”  
  
Maya simply shrugged, a smirk on her face. “Of course he was.”

“Housewives,” Tatsuya began in a laconic tone. “Source of the rumor mill since the dawn of civilization, with the inability to _not_ gossip in front of a police brat who just WANTED HELP REACHING FOR THAT BAG OF FLOUR, PLEASE AND THANK YOU.” He shook his head after his mock outburst. “That’s how I ended up as Boy A.”

“That sounds about right,” said Maya, her smirk growing bigger. “Nothing’s more dangerous to housewives than an attentive police brat.” Her expression became neutral. “I know I’m going off-topic, but is there a way I can speak to the principal? I’d like to ask him about his thoughts on the JOKER curse, if that’s possible.”

Both youths grimaced. “Principal Hanya?” Masaru edged closer to Tatsuya before answering. “His office is on this floor, you could check there. Word of warning, he’s an asshole.”

“A big one,” Tatsuya added. “You’re an adult, so maybe it would be okay…? I’d still be careful if I’d were you.”

“Duly noted,” Maya replied with a sigh of apprehension.

 

**Sevens Courtyard**

The principal wasn’t at his office, but among the teachers and students gathered in the school courtyard. He was yelling at some third year student; Maya and Ulala soon gathered that she was Tatsuya’s friend, Yoshizaka Anna. The principal ranted about her accident, the fallout, how she behaved since then; she didn’t react to any or his words, unlike another girl nearby, wearing the school’s gym uniform, who kept flinching.

Then, he mentioned Tatsuya’s name.

Anna looked ready to slaughter him right then and there. “Don’t you even _think_ of dragging Tatsuya into this! You don’t even know a single thing about him! He’s been through hell the last decade, and he understands _and_ supports me! I don’t care what you say about me, you leave him the hell alone!” The other girl nodded, a frown on her face.

There was more talk Maya couldn’t catch before the principal left the courtyard. Ulala walked over to Anna, gritting her teeth.

“How can you let him talk to you like that?!” she demanded.

“That’s none of your business,” Anna replied with a flat voice, and began to walk away.

As she passed Maya, however, the editor caught her muttering under her breath how she’d kill the principal.

It would seem Tatsuya’s concern for Anna wasn’t unfounded, after all.

“It’s not _sempai_ ’s fault things went bad for her,” the girl in the gym uniform lamented to the duo as they looked over to the school entrances, “her Dragon’s currently under the influence of Joka.”

Maya looked over to Ulala with a cocked eyebrow. “I knew the Wang Long fortune was popular, but I didn’t think it would be _that_ effective,” she noted. “I just thought it was like the astrology you find in newspapers.”

“You never were one to believe in that stuff,” Ulala acknowledged. “Anyway, we’d better talk to that principal! That was awful, treating her that way! I’m gonna let him have it!”

 

**Sevens Interior**

“Why do I have a feeling we’re gonna go up and down these stairs a lot?” Maya groaned as they walked up the stairs to the third floor. “Do you feel that way too, Ulala?”

“I don’t know about that, but what I _do_ know is that Inoue-kun wasn’t wrong about calling the principal an asshole,” her roommate grumbled.

Arriving at the office, Maya knocked on the door. “Excuse me, may we come in?”

No answer.

“Excuse our interruption,” she said as she opened the door, then entered the room with Ulala…

…To see the mangled corpse of Principal Hanya sprawled against the office floor like a ragdoll. With clothes torn open and his massive wounds still seeping blood on the wooden floor, it looked like he was mauled by an oversized dog.

Ulala immediately collapsed to her knees. “I… What the fuck…? What is this?!”

“I don’t know,” Maya answered with a trembling voice.

A pair of footsteps approached the office.

“Excuse me, Principal Hanya?” Tatsuya spoke as he entered the room. “We’ve got questions to- OH MY GOD, KATSUYA, HE’S DEAD!”

Katsuya rushed into the room at the sound of his brother's terrified shriek. The detective grimaced at the sight of the carnage- especially when he noticed the wide eyes and mouth of the horrified expression left on the dead’s face. He looked over to Tatsuya; the youth stood at the corner of the room, staring at the wall, but the pallor of his skin told Katsuya enough about his brother’s state of mind.

“Tatsuya, keep watch on the door! I’ll examine this further.” With pursed lips, the detective came closer to the body, kneeling next to it for examination.

Maya cleared her throat, grabbing his attention. “We just arrived here ourselves, and… he was already like this,” she explained, voice still trembling. “Is this… what happens to a JOKER victim?”

With a sigh of discomfort, Katsuya nodded as the pointed to the note still clutched in the victim’s hand. “The note, the wounds, they’re some of the signs of a JOKER killing. Someone called JOKER on him, and it has to be someone in this school!”

That was when Anna walked into the office, and her turn to see the corpse inside.

Her eyes went wide. “What…?”

Ulala looked over to Maya. “Hey, Maya, you don’t think…?”

“She did say something about killing him beforehand,” the editor admitted. Tatsuya somehow blanched even more, looking like a kicked puppy, before turning to face Anna.

“Anna,” he begged, “please tell me you didn’t…”

She, too, turned pale. “I-I didn’t… I didn’t do anything!”

Her outburst done, she ran out of the office, out of Tatsuya’s reach as he tried to grab her. “Anna, wait!” The sleeve of his jacket pushed back from the tension, exposing the leather bracer on his arm. He stopped moving forward as he looked at his gear.

It was glowing blue.

Katsuya had already stood up to give chase, brushing against his brother along the way. Feeling the contact, Tatsuya gasped and shook his head as if he’d just woken up, then pulled down his sleeve to hide his bracer. “Wait, _nii-san_! I can calm her down!” he called out, following his brother.

Maya and Ulala looked to each other. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay here,” Ulala proposed.

“Agreed- I am NOT staying with a dead body.” With that, the two ladies went off to follow the brothers.

 

They hadn’t reached the end of the hall when a strange dog-like creature halted their progress, growling at the crew. With red fur and eyes, and what seemed like gold-plated armor, it stood to about Katsuya’s waist. Tatsuya, who had taken the lead, edged away from the creature to stand closer to his brother, his breathing growing labored as he clutched at the bracer under his sleeve.

Ulala gaped at the creature. “What the hell is that?”

“It’s a demon, a demon,” a shrill yet giddy voice answered behind them.

Each of the three adults felt a strong chill flow from the top of their skull down through their spine, spreading out until it reached their fingers and toes.

Tatsuya suddenly gagged, covering his mouth with one hand and clutching his stomach with the other. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening at the sight of the newcomer.

“It’s him,” he warned the adults. “It’s JOKER!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics: Catherine Warwick|Earthbound Beginnings- Bein' Friends


	3. My mind is set on overdrive

The adults turned to see a large man wearing a black trench coat, with a brown grocery bag over his head and a katana in his hand. The bag had only one eye hole made, and some sort of grin with lipstick drawn on. The man was covered in blood splatters- obviously Principal Hanya’s.

How did he manage to hide away from them in the first place, since the only way to come in from that direction was the principal’s office?

Katsuya pulled out his gun, positioning himself at the ready to shoot.

The other man giggled. “Oh, that we meet again, Suou Tatsuya! You were hiding so well, I didn’t even notice you were here until now!”

Tatsuya’s eyes widened as he looked at the sleeve covering his bracer. “...So... that bracer Kokuto gave me... was working this entire time...?”

“Kokuto? Oh, that silly servant of the Divine Voice, with your Persona! The one who could keep up with me!” This time, it was hard to tell if he was chuckling or giggling. “He certainly is fun to play with, that’s for sure! How funny… you weren’t my target right now.” It was hard to tell where JOKER was looking at, but it seemed like it was at Maya’s direction. “No, it’s _you_ , Amano Maya. You did receive my letter, right? I’m here to kill you.”

Tatsuya gasped. Ulala turned to face her friend with wide eyes. Katsuya immediately put himself between JOKER and the rest of the crew, aiming his gun at the newcomer.

An actual chuckle came out of JOKER, not letting the detective speak. “Oh, but not right now, no. The Divine Voice said I could find salvation if I let the playing field be even.” He pulled out a pair of white and pink guns- at least, they  _looked_ like guns- and threw them at Maya’s feet. “Special delivery from the Divine Voice! With this and your Persona, all of you have a fighting chance against me! Come on now, don’t be shy- call out your Persona!”

As if silently called, a new demon appeared next to JOKER. Bloated, engorged, it was masked, but where there should be eyes was an inky black void, and there was a cavernous mouth with prominent fangs. It carried with it a double-bladed scythe.

The detective still had his gun trained on JOKER. “Suspect #501! You are-”

The new demon smashed its scythe into Katsuya, silencing him. Tatsuya screamed as his brother fell to his knees, yet there was no visible wound on the detective.

Wincing, Katsuya clutched his pounding head. The chill that was brought by JOKER’s appearance had slowly turned into a pulsating warmth throughout his body, like something was trying to burst out of him.

“What is... this feeling?”

And burst out it did- the warmth, too strong to be contained, broke through his heart like a stone through glass. Some sort of blue light appeared underneath him, flowing as if being filtered underwater, and an anthropomorphic feline figure materialized above him.

“ **I am Helios... Bearing the ancient sun, I am the one who violates the night!** **I shall become your loyal chariot!** ”

With that proclamation, Helios called a burst of flames towards the grotesque demon before them, before disappearing. It flinched slightly before approaching Ulala, who started to flail helplessly before the monster’s scythe struck her.

She yelped in pain as she collapsed. “I can’t take this anymore!”

She, too, felt the pulsating warmth shatter something out of her heart, the same blue light surrounding her before a different form was summoned from her. This time, a red figure in bondage revealed herself, a high heel shoe smashed in the mask hiding her face. Tatsuya blushed upon seeing this new Persona.

“ **I am Callisto... The one known as the most beautiful of the nymphs… One who is weary of romance, I shall show you true love.** ”

Callisto called on a magical mass of stone to fall against the demon. It recoiled again with a deep grunt. Callisto, too, disappeared.

The demon hadn’t yet attacked Maya when she suddenly sunk to her knees, the pulsating, warm pressure within her overwhelming all of her senses.

“ **I am thou... Thou art I... I cometh from the sea of thy heart...** ”

It came to the shattering point when, surrounded by that light, a woman in a funky pink kimono revealed herself above her.

“ **I am the brilliant mother, Maia... The workings of the Pleiades shining in the heavens shall be yours, bearer of the full moon...** ”

She gestured towards the demon, and glowing hexagonal rings ensnared it. With a cry of defeat, the demon dissipated into nothingness, Maia following it.

Tatsuya stared at where the demon had been. “Did you guys just...” He covered his mouth again as nausea overcame him, feeling warm bile creeping up his throat. He joined the adults on the floor, trying to swallow down the bile.

JOKER crackled again. “Now, let’s see if you can pull out of this!” This time, he summoned a Persona-like being that seemed to be a dark jester version of a Sevens student. The buttoned coat was now grey edged in red and black, while the pure black pants merged with heeled red boots. The tie was a brighter shade of green than the first year students, while the boots' tips ended in a point, with stripes of black on the heel portion. The jester wore a red, black and white helmet featuring a grinning black porcelain mask as a face, with a shattered motif eyeliner around the eyes. The same green as the tie was found on the top of the dome-like helmet. Resembling the striped motif at the boot tips were four horns framing the helmet's sides like a jester's cap. The hands were black, with manicured nails and a strange motif in white like a tattoo. “If you’re not careful, the demons will eat you!”

The jester called upon an orb of purple light, and as it rapidly expands, intense searing pain overwhelmed them. The last thing all four heard before collapsing as they blacked out was the sound of themselves screaming from the sensation.

 

Suddenly, there was a pathway of myriad flowers before them, and butterflies of gold, black and white fluttering towards one direction- ahead, towards and beyond billowing curtains of blue with gold embroidery, hanging across an archway of white stone. Something like the night sky could be seen within the archway. Someone was calling out from the other side, enticing them to follow the butterflies into the archway. Once again, the group blacked out.

 

**???**

Tatsuya woke up in a start, eyes darting around, breathing heavily. “Guys…?” he called out, then looked behind him to see his brother slowly sitting up, groaning in pain. “ _Nii-san_ , you okay there?!”

“Apparently so,” Katsuya answered, rubbing his head. He looked over to his side, where Maya and Ulala were also waking up from the attack. “Amano-kun, Serizawa-kun, how are you both feeling?”

“…Alive, I guess?” Ulala admitted as she massaged her shoulder. “We’re definitely _not_ at the school anymore, that’s for sure.”

Tatsuya sat up, eyes wide as he scanned their current location. The sky was pitch black with dots of light spread out in unfamiliar patterns unlike the usual night sky. The building they were on was a mishmash of different architecture, harmonized by the white, gold and silver colors used. Translucent, iridescent drapes and curtains seemed to billow from a missing wind, hanged to emphasize the grandeur of the location. From the visible layout, they seemed to be on the lowest tier of a balcony overlooking this strange place. At the top-most tier, a large tree with red-purple foliage grew out of there, swaying in the same wind as the drapes and curtains.

“Is it just me,” Maya began as she stood up for a better view of the area, “or have I been here before?”

“Now that you mention it, this place _does_ look familiar,” Ulala realized as she imitated her friend. “I just can’t remember why.”

Katsuya was the next one standing, helping his brother up. “So, both of you also recognize this place,” he noted, his hand hovering near his gun. “What about you, Tatsuya?” At the lack of response, he turned to Tatsuya, who was staring at the floor. “Tatsuya?”

“That’s a Monarch butterfly.” The youth had found- in the dead center of the balcony tier- a mosaic of said butterfly, gleaming under a sourceless light. “That’s the butterfly I saw at Araya Shrine back in August. They live in the Americas, not in Japan.” He looked over to Katsuya. “Sorry, were you guys wondering if I recall this place too?” He switched his gaze to the ladies. “I definitely do. I just don’t know _how_ …”

“You first came here after playing the Persona game,” a voice- a triad of voices speaking in unison, in fact- seemed to surround them. “You have given me your names, awakening your potential to use a Persona.”

Tatsuya froze, looking about him once again, followed by the others. “You- you’re the voice at the shrine, the one who apologized to me…” His sharp gasp attracted the attention of the adults. “You’re Kokuko’s master! The one who ‘rules over power’, who knows the Gear’s true strength- that has to be you!”

“That is correct,” the voice replied, this time with a clear origin- the tree at the top-most tier of the balcony. A masked woman in a hooded dress slowly approached them, coming down the stairs connecting the tiers. The dress had a golden butterfly embroided at the chest, and her hands had golden markings resembling the ones found on the dark jester. “Though I am much more.”

Lowering her hood on her final steps towards them, she exposed navy blue hair styled in a hybrid of Tatsuya’s bangs and an elegant bun. As if greeting her, glowing ethereal butterflies of white, gold and black emerged from the mosaic. The newcomer bowed to the four surrounding her.

“I bid you welcome to my domain, awakened ones. Many names have come and gone, so you may refer to me as Psyche. You all have questions for me… I shall answer to the best of my ability.”

“Perhaps we could begin with this,” Katsuya offered, “Who are you, exactly, and what is this place?”

Psyche’s head moved towards the youth. “ I am humanity. ” She carefully removed her mask, revealing a face almost identical to Tatsuya’s, albeit with make-up and a softer definition. The mask instantly turned into a grouping of Monarch butterflies, fading as they fluttered away. “ I am vice and virtue, ethics and law, divinity and wickedness, and all that is between. I am the human soul, thus the use of the name Psyche. As for this domain, this is the center of humanity’s Collective Unconsciousness- the birthplace of archetypes, myths and lore. You are currently in a deep sleep, protected by my power from the demons born of archetypes. ” She looked over to Katsuya, her heterochromatic eyes of blue and yellow staring at his brown ones. “ Was that satisfactory, Suou Katsuya? ”

He gulped, avoiding her gaze. “Y-yes, ma’am. You’ve answered my questions perfectly.”

“So basically, we’re dreaming, is that it?” Ulala asked, Psyche nodding in answer. “Okay, good, we’re still alive. Thanks for saving us. So, uh…” She scratched at the nape of her neck. “What are Personas, exactly?”

“Personae are the many masks one wears to survive day-to-day living. Everyone has Personae, but to truly awaken to them, the physical and the metaphysical must be intermingling together like they currently are. Personae are a marriage between two aspects of one being- the Ideal Self and the Shadow Self. The more harmonious the aspects, the more stable your Persona.” She gestured to all four of them. “In short, a Persona is an alter ego born of an archetype created by humanity.”

“So that’s what it is…” Tatsuya frowned. “Kokuto told me you gave him my Persona because it was unstable. Is it… is it because of the Gear?”

“I knew what would happen to you once you learned information that destabilized your understanding of the world as you perceived it,” Psyche explained. “Unstable Personae, staying in their original selves, could potentially go berserk and harm someone. I did not wish for that fate to befall you, so I transferred Vulcanus to Kokuto for safekeeping.”

Tatsuya brought a hand to his bracer. “Then, what is this Gear, if it’s not cursed? Kokuto said it was dormant, having no power over my life… is that true?!”

With a nod, Psyche gave him a gentle smile. “ My Gear can only be activated by me within that bracer, or automatically in the puppet in came from. But until the conscious world is ridden of the Cognition Manipulating Artifact that exists, I cannot put the Gear back where it belongs. ”

“I’m sorry, a Cogni-what now?” Maya queried, head cocked to the side.

“An item causing the unconscious to directly interact with the conscious world. It is how JOKER gets his power; and soon, it will possess the power to transmute rumors into reality.” Psyche looked at them all. “Take advantage of it, and help me destroy this Artifact before it permanently damages the world.” She then faced Tatsuya. “While I cannot physically aid you, I can bequeath you some of my power in that gear, that you may channel using the bracer. Are you willing, Suou Tatsuya?”

“…Yes.” The youth lifted his arm to present the bracer. “If I can be useful without a Persona, then I might as well take it.”

She began to move her hands toward Tatsuya's bracer, but hesitated, a frown forming on her face. “ A word of warning- JOKER’s attack left this arm numb in the conscious world. However, you will be able to use my power. ” The markings on her hands and forearms began to glow, with the butterfly etchings on the Gear glowing blue in response. “ The power I bless you with is the ability to identify the archetype the demons represent, their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their personalities. The next demon you shall meet will explain things further, but know that you need not attack them if you are able to have a conversation. ”

“Thank you, Psyche,” Tatsuya replied. “I won’t waste this opportunity you’ve given me.”

“As a bonus, you will be able to face demons and situations as if you still have Vulcanus,” she added. “These powers are instinctual, taking the form of a visor.” Once again, she looked over at each member of the quartet. “Any more questions before I send you back?”

Katsuya nodded, a grim expression clouding his face. “Do you know JOKER’s true identity?”

Psyche smirked, hands on her hips. “ You  _are_ a detective, are you not? JOKER’s identity is something you can learn without my aid, Suou Katsuya. If you are that concerned, I do believe your brother has information for you. ”

“Ah…” Katsuya fixed his glasses, cheeks pink. “No, you’re right. This is something I must figure out on my own. Detectives don’t take shortcuts like these, even if it is tempting.”

“Not to mention no one would believe your sources,” Maya pointed out. “Sorry, that’s the journalist talking.”

“No worries, Amano-kun, you’ve pointed out something I’ve forgotten.” Katsuya still had pink cheeks. “Off topic, but I’m still wondering why my Persona is a cat, of all things.”

Tatsuya started to wheeze out a laugh. “I’m sorry,  _what_ ? You know exactly why Helios is a cat,  _aniki_ , don’t pretend you don’t!”

The older brother steely stared silently at the younger one. The two ladies looked between them with raised eyebrows, Psyche smirking as she observed the quartet. “ Now then, it is almost time for you to wake up again. Amano Maya, now that your weapons have been delivered, you and Suou Katsuya will be given a special gun clip that never depletes. These ‘bullets’ are a more solidified form of the same energy used by Persona skills. That same demon I’ve mentioned will give you them. ”

“Thank you, Psyche,” Maya said with a bow.

“Yes, thank you,” added Katsuya. “I have a limit to my bullets, so this will help everyone.”

“Perfect.” Her markings glowed once again. “You are both welcome. Close your eyes- I shall send you back to the conscious world. This shall not be farewell, children, we will meet again. But until then, good luck.”

Those were the last words the four heard as darkness overtook them.

 

**Seven Sisters High School**

“…Ya? Tatsuya!” Katsuya’s voice became clearer as the youth woke, noticing that he was being shaken back to consciousness. “Tatsuya, can you hear me?!”

Tatsuya opened his eyes and lifted his head to see his brother kneeling in front of him, and the ladies at his side. “Yeah, ten-four,  _aniki_ .” He tried to move his right arm to lift himself up, but  it buckled under him. “Psyche’s right, my arm’s gone numb.” He cursed as he tried again with his left arm.

“Here, let me help you up,” Katsuya carefully assisted him, placing a hand against his back for support. “How’s your stomach?”

“It _feels_ like it’s calmed down,” the youth commented as he rubbed his free hand against his stomach. “Sorry for freaking out earlier, I wasn’t expecting to see JOKER again.”

Katsuya let out a humming sound. “It’s understandable, Tatsuya. You thought you’d shaken him off with Psyche’s bracer, after all.” He gently rubbed his brother’s back. “Is there anything I can do?”

Pursing his lips, Tatsuya nodded. “Call for backup. The more people we have, the more likely we’ll catch JOKER and protect the school.”

“That _would_ be a wise idea. Especially with Yoshizaka-san in danger of being attacked by him.” With a last comforting pat on Tatsuya’s back, Katsuya broke off from the group to call his superior for a dispatch of reinforcements.

“Here, Tatsuya, we’ll help you with your arm,” Maya offered. She and Ulala helped the youth utilize his jacket as a makeshift sling for his arm. A Lichtenberg pattern- found on lightning victims- was etched on his skin, from his fingers to his shoulder. They tried to hide the bracer, their hands brushing past the warm Gear caged in.

“Do you think maybe it’s the bracer that caused this?” Ulala wondered as she gave his hand a squeeze, not surprised at the lack of reaction. “I mean, we don’t have any of those markings.”

“Yeah, probably because the Gear wasn’t activated,” Tatsuya assumed. Katsuya walked back to them, putting his cellphone into his pocket. “Is backup coming, _aniki_?”

The detective nodded. “What should we do first?”

The arrival of Saeko-sensei answered that question, everyone turning as they heard her footsteps. “We’ve heard noises, what’s going on?”

“Saeko-sensei, are there still students in the school?” Tatsuya asked, his voice pitched in a high panic. “JOKER just murdered the principal, and he’s still on the loose!”

When the teacher gasped, Katsuya stepped forward and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I’ve called police back-up,” he reassured her. “If there are indeed still students in the school, have them stay in the classrooms. It’ll be safer there.”

She nodded, but there was no sign of relief apparent. “Of course, Officer Suou.” She looked over to Tatsuya. “Tatsuya-kun, are you going to stay with your brother?”

“I will.” The youth felt the detective give his shoulder a small squeeze. “I… I feel safer being next to him. We’ll be careful, I promise.”

Saeko-sensei nodded. “Good luck, both of you...”

 

Once she left to warn the teachers and students of the new situations, the new group decided to check on the first floor to see if it was possible Anna or JOKER went that route.

“So, how do we meet those demons, anyway?” Ulala queried as they walked towards the stairs. “I don’t see them anywhere.”

One step forward, and suddenly the world around them snapped in reverse colors, as some sort of barrier making the inside bigger than the outside appeared around them. A green gelatinous glob with red eyes and tiny arms popped up in front of them, managing to form some sort of grin as it addressed the startled crew.

“Oh, you’re the people Lady Psyche asked me to help out,” it spoke with a squishing sound vibrating its voice. “First thing first, the clips!” Appearing and hovering in front of both Katsuya and Maya were said clips for each of their guns, the same butterfly markings on it as Tatsuya’s Gear. They grabbed them with thanks, placing them into the guns. “Alright, with that over, let’s talk contacts!”

The glob proceeded to explain what Psyche meant by communicating with demons- by appealing to their personalities, demons will react accordingly and exude two different types of auras- singular and blinking. Singular auras came in different colors and emotions- red for anger, blue for fear, and green for happiness. There was a fourth color, interest, that was both singular and part of the blinking auras, which adds one of the three other colors with it. Singular auras being pushed to their limits had obvious results- red caused the demon and its group to attack; blue caused the demon to flee; green offered the chance to create useful contracts with the demon type and yellow offered Tarot Cards. Blinking Auras had other effects associated with them, but the demon itself wasn’t sure what they did.

“So, you’ve been given Psyche’s Visor to help things go smoothly!” The glob pointed out. “How about you try it out on me, humans?”

Tatsuya held his numb arm. “I, ah… I’m not sure how to-” He interrupted himself as he went and touch the Gear- it was warm, and a closer look revealed the butterfly etchings were glowing again. “She said it was instinctual… right?” He took a deep breath, closed his eyes…

He could feel something nagging in his brain, right behind his eyes, and he imagined trying to push whatever that was forward, against his face.

“Wo-woah!” Ulala yelped. “Is that the Visor?!”

When Tatsuya opened his eyes again, he was looking at some sort of see-through, video game-esque HUD in the shape of a butterfly. The top right wing had a square and diamond diagram representing the intensity of the demon's emotions. The top left wing explained that this demon was known as a Slime of the Tower Arcana Archetype, strong against skills that are of the Dark, Nerve and Mind nature, while being weak to skills of a Light nature. Bottom left revealed that the Slime only had one move, with a chance to poison the target. Bottom right exposed their personality as being Foolish.

“I...” Tatsuya stared at the Slime. “I can see who you are, _what_ you are...”

“WHY ARE YOUR EYES GLOWING?!” Ulala suddenly shrieked.

The youth blinked and looked over to her. “I’m sorry, I can’t see my face without a mirror, what do you mean, my eyes are glowing?”

With a mixture of a sigh and a groan, Katsuya grabbed his brother’s lighter out of his pocket and angled it so it reflected like a mirror.

From what Tatsuya could see, it was a single lens visor that looked like something out of the 1980’s, with the frame resembling a butterfly patterned Venetian mask. He could see his eyes through the visor, and just like Ulala said, they seemed to be glowing vividly.

“Duuuuuuude,” he exclaimed, grinning wildly, “it _is_ glowing. That’s so cool!”

“Why are you okay with this?!”

Maya just put a hand on her roommate’s shoulder. “Let him have his fun, Ulala. We’ll get used to it in no time.”

The Slime seemed to be smiling again. “Yes, happy humans are the best humans, after all!” It waved to Tatsuya. “How does it feel?”

“I feel like an anime protagonist wearing this,” he admitted. “So, to take it off, I just… do everything in reverse, then?”

“Yup, pretty much,” the demon replied. “For being such good sports with all those explanations, here’s a couple Tarot Cards under the Tower Arcana! Try to get as many different cards as you can- once you gain access to the Velvet Room, the residents will use these to help you out!” Like the clips, the cards appeared and hovered in front of Maya, who took them with a thanks. “Well then, see you later, humans!” It sunk back into the floor, disappearing completely.

Everything seemed to dissolve back to the school, like nothing happened, but Tatsuya still had the Visor on. “Do you want me to take it off?” he asked the adults, putting his free hand on the mask part.

“Please?!” Ulala begged. “Your eyes are freaking me out!”

“Alright.” The youth imagined the visor being pushed back into his skull, and the HUD dissipated away. “Better now?”

“Yes.” She shuddered. “It just doesn’t look right, for some reason...”

Katsuya patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Serizawa-san… We understand you’re scared.” He then presented to his brother the lighter. “Do you want me to put this away for you, or can you put it back yourself?”

“Ah, put it back in for me, please.” Once the lighter was back to its rightful place, Tatsuya felt his pocket and nodded to himself before addressing Katsuya. “So, back to the search?”

“Back to the search.”

 

“So, none of our Personae can use a skill that they’re weak to?”

In a battle against demons that had appeared on the second floor, Tatsuya was testing the Visor further when he realized he could also examine the adults’ Personae. He looked over to Maya, who had asked the question. “So far, with all the skills we do have,” he turned back to the anthropomorphic female squirrel before them, “not against Ratatoskr. We’ve got no Wind-” he interrupted himself when Helios came into focus, changing the information on the HUD. “Hold on. Single Shot? That’s a new one. I don’t know what sort of skill this is.”

“In that case, shall I try it?” Katsuya asked. His brother nodded, and the detective had his feline counterpart attack with the skill- which resulted in Helios taking a gun from out of nowhere and shooting at the Ratatoskr, defeating it.

There was silence as the group registered exactly what just occurred.

Tatsuya stared at the Persona next to him. “Hold- hold on! What just happened?” He turned to his brother, pointing to Helios. “Why does the cat have a gun?  _Why does Helios have a gun?!_ ”

While Katsuya’s answer was a shrug and a confused look, Maya was shaking her head before giving her own interpretation. “Perhaps he wields a gun because your brother’s been trained to use one as a detective?”

“…I mean, that could be possible, but... Last I checked, Helios was a sun god.” With his free hand, he gestured to both his brother and Helios. “Apparently, from my brother’s Sea of Soul, he’s a gun-toting, anthropomorphic,” he chewed on his lower lip, “Victorian dandy feline sun god.”

Ulala smiled uncomfortably at the confused demons before turning to the rest of the crew. “Is it accurate about him?”

“Uh, perhaps?” Katsuya shifted his weight on his legs. “I mean, I’m not asking what your Personae represent now, am I?”

“You have a point,” Ulala realized with a shudder.

Tatsuya kept on looking at Helios, who was in turn staring at his other self’s brother with its large yellow eyes. “…You know, I’m not sure what any of this has to do with ‘god of the sun’. From what Kashihara-sensei taught us, felines weren’t associate with him.”

Maya had watched the entire conversation unfold without any changes in expression or posture. “Katsuya-san’s a complex guy,” she deduced.

A sigh came out of the youth. “I guess I know my brother less than I thought.”

Katsuya whipped around and faced him. “ _You think?!_ ”

“I-” Tatsuya took a step back, eyes wide, before he grabbed onto his bracer. “I, um… what I wanted to say...”

“No, no, I have to apologize,” the older brother said, adjusting his glasses while avoiding the youth’s eyes. “We’re dealing with something stressful… I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

Tatsuya nodded. “Ri-right. I’m sorry, too. But, um...” He looked over to the demons, who still had their heads tilted in confusion. “Don’t we have something to do, guys?”

Ulala grinned as she cracked her knuckles. “Time to punch more demons!”

 

 

“The doors are locked, and there’s no sign of either of them on this floor.” Katsuya looked around the foyer of the first floor after the quartet had made a thorough investigation, a few more Tarot Cards in their pockets. “Well, there _is_ the room that the clock tower’s keeper stays in. Yoshizaka-san might be there.”

“And the nurse should be in that room, too,” Tatsuya added. “Maybe she could help with my arm; my jacket’s not a very good sling replacement.”

Maya walked to him, frowning. “It’s still numb?!”

“Yeah...” He pulled his jacket away from his arm. The Lichtenberg markings were still there, unchanged. “Whatever that attack was, the Gear didn’t agree with it.” After placing his jacket back into the sling position, Tatsuya gently smacked his brother on the arm. “Let’s not stay in that room too long, though. That old fart gives me the creeps.”

 

"Yoshizaka-kun probably came here," Katsuya announced to the group after he talked to the duo staying inside the room. "When both the keeper and the nurse were occupied, someone came in and took the key to the clock tower; neither of them can find it here. Looks like another dead end."

The ladies groaned in disbelief. Tatsuya, on his side, had alerted the nurse about his arm; with a frown, she brought out bandages, took off his bracer and started to wrap the bandages around his arm.

“The key being missing would mean Anna went to the clock tower for safety. She’s still in danger of being attacked by JOKER, despite that,” the student noted. “If we need to go there, the Faculty Room has the spare key.”

“Then we’ll have to go back to the second floor.” Maya sighed at the idea. “I _knew_ that we were going to use the stairs a lot!”

Ulala was staring at Tatsuya. “...Before, you said you knew a bit about Helios. Do you know about our Personae, too?”

“Oh! Ah, Kashihara-sensei didn’t really talk much about Callisto, but as Maia said herself, she’s part of the Pleiades, which this school is named after. I think she’s the oldest of them…?” The youth shrugged his unoccupied shoulder. “We didn’t focus that much on Greek mythology. Helios was just one of the topics I remembered the most clearly.”

“And there...” the nurse fixed the bracer back on his arm before using the rest of the bandages to make a sling. “That should help you until all feeling returns to your arm.” She fixed his jacket to help support the sling while keeping him comfortable. “How does this feel?”

“Better,” Tatsuya admitted. “Thank you.”

 

“Ahh! Human, you’re hurt!”

The crew had stumbled upon another group of demons on their way to the Faculty Room, and upon seeing the arm in the sling, the Pixie among them flew right to Tatsuya in absolute panic. “Who did this to you?! Do you need healing? I can heal!”

The youth gently smiled with a bit of pink at his cheek. “Don’t worry about it, it’s just numb. It’s easier for me to have it in a sling than just leave it at my side.”

“Hmmm...” The Pixie flew back to the other demons, who got in an unintelligible conversation, before the Pixie came back again, this time to Katsuya. “It’s been decided! We’re pooling all our Free Tarot Cards to help you all! Here, take them, and make sure you use them well!”

The detective grabbed the pile of cards before the demons and the barrier disappeared. He stared at the bundle. “...Did we just get Cards out of pity?!”

Maya looked over to the Cards. “That have to be at least twelve.”

“Or a _baker’s dozen_ ,” Katsuya said, absentmindedly slipping in the English term, as he started to count them. “Yep, thirteen Free Cards. Here you go, Amano-kun.” He passed her the Cards.

“Thank you.” She blinked. “What was that just now?”

“ _Baker’s dozen_ is just a fancy English thing to say the number thirteen,” Tatsuya explained. “Back when _aniki_ was a senior here, there was an exchange student that was afraid of that number and used _baker’s dozen_ as a replacement. It’s one of our little… brother things.”

Ulala giggled. “A brother thing, huh! That’s kinda cute!”

Both brothers blushed at the comment.

 

Arriving at the Faculty Room, Katsuya explained to the teachers there the current situation. One of them went to search for the spare key.

“...What happened to your arm, Tatsuya-kun?” Saeko-sensei asked, as she and Kashihara-sensei approached their student with concerned looks on their faces.

“No wounds, but it’s horribly numb,” Tatsuya admitted. “Don’t worry about it. Actually,” he turned to Kashihara-sensei, “while we’re here, I do have a question for you, Kashihara-sensei. We were talking about Greek myths a while back in class, and something related came up in my… personal studies and I was hoping maybe you could clarify things for me.”

Kashihara-sensei blinked, his posture relaxing. “Oh? What would that be?”

Tatsuya quickly glanced at Ulala. “Uh, so I’ve been reading about the nymphs of myth, and the name Callisto popped up… was there any information about her in myth?”

“Oh, yes, I know quite a bit about Callisto!” Kashihara-sensei exclaimed. “It actually ties in the astrological lore of the myths. Callisto was cursed to become a bear, and that resulted her in becoming Ursa Major, the constellation with the Big Dipper.”

“ _Ohhhh._ ” The youth waved his free hand to dismiss the conversation. “Thanks for the basics, I think I can research this further.” He grinned at Ulala, who was looking between both student and teacher with furrowed brows.

The other teacher came back to the group with the spare key, presenting it to Katsuya. “Here it is, Sergeant.”

“Thank you, sir,” the detective said as he took the key, then turned to the group. “We’d better hurry and check the clock tower. Yoshizaka-san’s still in danger- every minute counts.” The rest of the quartet nodded in agreement.

 

The clock tower was on the fourth floor; another set of stairs up, the group found themselves near the area where JOKER attacked them. “The stairs to the clock tower are in the main hallway,” Tatsuya directed. “It’s past my classroom.”

No demons appeared in front of them, but as they reached the base of the fourth floor stairs, the same full body chill and nausea they’d experienced before JOKER’s appearance hit them like a truck. The youth turned away, free hand over his mouth, muffling the retching noises coming out of him. Maya was quickly be his side, massaging his back.

“That sensation… that means #501’s up there.” Katsuya looked over to his brother, a concerned look on his face. “If you need to stay back, Tatsuya-”

“No.” Tatsuya removed his hand from his face, breathing deeply, his face a tint pale. “I… I’ll be fine, nothing came out. I have to do this. I can’t… I can’t lose someone dear to me again.”

“Alright. Stay by me, Tatsuya,” the detective advised, pulling out his gun. “We’ll protect Anna… I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics: Green Day- Basket Case  
> All colorized text has been changed to underline.


	4. Second Hand News

After going up the last flight of stairs, the group found themselves in a small room with what they assumed be the door to the clock tower. Tatsuya turned to his brother, still shivering from the nausea.

“I think you should go in first,” he advised Katsuya. “You’re trained to deal with shit like this.”

“All right.” The detective took out his gun. “Stay close to me, everyone.”

Once he had the door opened, the crew carefully entered the clock tower, where large gears and cogs spun in place; the mechanism was a good distance from the platform they were on. There was still no sign of Anna nor JOKER-

“Hey, there they are!” Ulala hissed as she pointed to a higher part of the tower, where another platform was placed, the stairs leading down hidden in the shadows. On the walkway were the two people they’d been looking for the entire time, with Anna being cornered by JOKER.

She was sweating, trembling, eyes wide open. “What the hell do you want from me, you creep-ass bitch?!”

“Ooooh, such viciousness! If only you were my target, this would have been _more_ exciting!” JOKER tilted his head. “Do tell me... You must be the famous Anna I’ve heard about, am I right? Is there anyone else you’d like me to kill for you?”

She shook her head. “You’re done! I don’t know who’s calling you, but I could’ve dealt with those two myself!”

“That’s a lie!” Tatsuya yelled angrily, before slapping his hand over his mouth, his eyes going wide.

The duo on the higher platform turned to see the group on the lower one. “Ta-Tatsuya?! What th- get out of here!”

Katsuya quickly took aim towards JOKER. “Suspect #501! Step away from that girl immediately!”

“Oh, so you’ve managed to defeat all those demons!” The glee in the suspect’s voice sounded unnaturally saccharine. “Perhaps you will be able to grant me salvation, after all!” His covered head tilted towards Anna. “Oh, wouldn’t it be great if they presented you a demonstration?” He called another set of demons towards the group. “Show us how you managed to defeat the ones I sent you, and I’ll grant your wish, my dear _kouhai_!”

“... _Kouhai_?” Katsuya repeated as the world around him was distorted by the forming barrier. He looked over to Tatsuya, who had already put on the Visor, but there was something about the youth’s expression that seemed off. “Tatsuya, do you know-”

“Not now, we’ve got a battle to fight,” Tatsuya interrupted. “Okay, we’ve got two demons known as Apep, and the lone one is Empusa. _Aniki_ , Apep is weak to Fire, so you’d want to use Helios’ Agi... but watch out for their Aqua. Empusa is weak to Earth, so Ulala-san could use Magna on her, or you guys could attempt a Stone Rise instead. Be careful, Empusa can heal too!”

Katsuya went for the Apep closer to Tatsuya to distract it from attacking his brother, firing off an Agi with Helios. The demon shrieked in pain as the flames erupted on it. Ulala followed up with a Magna dropped on the head, the Apep's shriek turning into a gurgle as it dissipated into nothing. The other Apep attempted an Aqua on Maya, which she was able to dodge and retaliate with a gun shot. The Empusa, staring down Tatsuya, casted Illuzone, but the Visor deflected it with a blue glow.

Katsuya and Ulala's Agi-Magna combo quickly felled the second Apep, defeating it like its sibling. Maya took a risk and tried an Aqua of her own on the Empusa, who gritted her teeth and used Dia on herself. The three adults cast the Stone Rise as suggested, somehow catching the Empusa's weakpoint and defeating her in one hit like the Apeps.

“Bravo, bravo!” JOKER was applauding them as the barrier dissipated. “Unfortunately, your friend didn’t like the show,” he mentioned, as the crew realized that Anna was nowhere to be seen. “It’s alright, she’s still here,” he pointed out, “she’s simply taking a nap. Perhaps you’d like to join her?”

The dark jester appeared again, and rings of rotating Z’s surrounded the quartet. Ulala dropped to the ground, helpless against the sleeping spell. Katsuya was next, dropping to his knees, nearly cursing before he, too, fell unconscious. Maya tried her best to stay standing, collapsing, struggling to stay conscious- in the end, the spell won.

Having a passive role in the recent battle, however, meant that Tatsuya was able to resist the hypnotic effects- but the nauseous sensation returned to his body, and he found himself holding on to the nearby railing as a headache began to pound, and he could feel his heartbeat in his throat. The Visor was back within him, his vision doubling as his eyes refocused. “H-hey!” He called out to JOKER, his words slurring. “You’d better... you’d better stay away from Anna!”

As if emphasizing his words, the Gear began to glow blue within his sleeve again, and the gears of the clock tower joined in, radiating the same blue butterfly pattern. Butterflies made of blue light came out of the patterns, grouping at the center of the clock, forming a familiar figure in front of them.

Tatsuya’s eyes widened as the newcomer swiftly leaped towards the upper platform, summoning their sword out of a sleeve, landing in between Anna and JOKER. The latter backed away before a dark orb surrounded him. As the sphere vanished, so did JOKER.

“Huh, not a word,” the newcomer mused as they brought back their sword into their sleeve. “You’d think that chatterbox would have said something to me...”

“Kokuto…?” The youth slowly approached closer to them, careful not to step on the sleeping adults, gripping the railing for support. “How...”

Kokuto smiled at Tatsuya before picking up Anna, leaping over the other platform’s railing and landing closer to the tower entrance. “Surprise,” they told him. “I swore to help you, remember?”

“Yeah, but...” The student finally reached the newcomer. “Through the _Gear_? I didn’t knew it was connected to you...”

“Ah… in a manner of speaking, it is,” Kokuto told him. “Where should I place your friend?”

Tatsuya looked around. “Sorry Anna… floor it is. I can’t exactly hold her myself right now.”

“I can tell,” the newcomer noted, carefully lying Anna near Maya.

The youth knelt beside his fellow student, checking if she was still alive- he wasn’t going to take JOKER’s word. Thankfully, she was indeed merely unconscious; Tatsuya breathed a sigh of relief. He heard Maya groan behind him, then movement and clothes shifting. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes met with the editor’s, still groggy from the effects of the spell.

“You feeling okay, Maya-nee?”

“Could’ve been better,” she admitted, before she realized they weren’t alone. She stared at Kokuto with wide eyes, and they gave her a gentle smile while absentmindedly searching their sleeve. “Ah, who are you?” she asked, noticing that this newcomer looked too familiar for comfort.

“That’s Kokuto,” Tatsuya introduced. “He’s the one who gave me the bracer. I, uh… I think I called him here.”

Kokuto chuckled softly. “Well, you have great timing. As the Lady Psyche has probably told you, rumors should be able to transform into reality by now.” He pulled the emblem of the Seven Sisters out of his sleeve, passing it to the youth. “You’ll be able to stop JOKER in his tracks if you use this as a warding tool. The Kuzunoha Detective Agency in Aoba should be able to help you spread the rumor around the city.”

Maya crawled to Tatsuya’s side. “You think using Sevens’ emblem would help?”

“It would be like my bracer, but everyone would be able to get their hands on it,” the youth realized. “Thanks, Kokuto… you’re a great help.”

“It’s only my duty, but you’re welcome.” Kokuto then blinked, turning to look at the door behind him. “Oh… I believe the backup your brother called in is coming in the school. Perhaps it would be best to try and wake him up.”

Tatsuya nodded, giving the emblem to Maya. “You should do the same to Ulala-san,” he suggested. “You’re gonna leave, aren’t you, Kokuto?”

Kokuto’s smile looked uncomfortable. “Unfortunately. Unawakened humans can’t tolerate my presence for long, so I’d better go.” He began to radiate a blue aura as the butterflies that had heralded his entrance surrounded him. “I’ll see you later, then, Tatsuya.” And with a flash, he and the butterflies were gone.

Tatsuya carefully stood up and shuffled to his brother. “Well, there’s one way I know to wake him up...” Kneeling down again, he started to poke Katsuya in the ribs. “Katchan,” he said in a cutesy falsetto, “wake up, Katchan! You’re not gonna leave your little brother all lonely, are you?!”

The detective grumbled and started to swat Tatsuya’s hand away. “Shut up with the Katchan already,” he mumbled as he slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses. “Where’s JOKER?”

“Ah, uh… gone? I don’t know where he went, if that’s your next question,” the youth noted. He suddenly shuddered, bringing a hand to his chest. “Ugh… this gross feeling’s not passing… Shit, what if I need a bathroom?!” He looked over to Anna with a concerned expression.

“Is she alright?” Katsuya stood up, observing that Maya had managed to wake up Ulala, and the ladies were beside Anna.

“Well, she’s out for now,” Tatsuya explained, also getting up, using the detective’s shoulder to steady himself. “She’s fine otherwise. JOKER must’ve spooked her bad if she fainted.”

Then came a knock on the door. “Sergeant Suou!” The muffled voice was the policeman who was with him earlier. “Is everything alright in there?!”

Katsuya glanced at his brother before rushing to the door, opening it. “Is backup here already? We need all the help we can get- JOKER managed to escape.”

“Shit.” The other policeman frowned. “Alright. I’ll alert the others- anything you need?”

“We might need an ambulance, one of the students fainted and she doesn’t seem to want to wake up,” Katsuya notified, looking over his shoulder before turning back. “Shock blankets would be useful, and-”

“Please, get out of the way!”

“Oh shit, Tatsuya.” The detective quickly moved out of the doorway, the other policeman doing the same, as Tatsuya ran past them, his hand covering his mouth.

Katsuya furrowed his eybrows as he watched his brother race down the hall. “May I be excused? I-”

There was a sigh from the other man. “Just… go, Sergeant,” he waved at the stairs. “I’ll take care of things from here, you go take care of your brother. He needs it.”

“Thank you.”

 

A good portion of the reinforcements were quickly at the murder scene on the third floor, putting up caution tape to protect it. Maya and Ulala were standing nearby, having told to one of the officers what they had witnessed- without mentioning anything about Personae, which the police would never believe.

The brothers returned from the bathroom, Katsuya supporting Tatsuya with an arm around his shoulders. The younger Suou shivered, a pallor to his skin, his free hand pressed against his stomach. “Deep breaths, Tatsuya… Deep breaths.” The response to the older brother was a pained groan as Tatsuya rested his head against Katsuya’s shoulder.

Maya frowned as they approached her and Ulala. “How are you feeling, Tatsuya-kun?”

A crooked smile appeared on the youth’s lips. “Guess the real deal’s more graphic than in the movies,” he joked, staring at the principal’s office ahead. “They’re gonna need lots of air fresheners in that room, that’s for sure.”

“ _Tatsuya_.” Katsuya only needed to use his brother’s name as a warning. “Amano-kun, Serizawa-kun, do you mind keeping an eye on him? I’m afraid I’ve got work to do...”

“It’s not a problem! Come on over, Tatsuya-kun, let’s get your comfortable,” Maya offered. With a nod, Tatsuya approached them, shivering. “Hmm… there’s no blanket for him, is there?”

Katsuya frowned. “I’ll check with backup if there’s any for him,” he suggested. “What about a sports drink? Raspberry sounds good?”

“Think the nurse’s office has got some,” Tatsuya pointed out. “They always keep some for dehydration cases. But yeah, raspberry sounds good.”

“Alright. Here, will this be okay?” The detective removed his jacket and placed it around his brother’s shoulders. “I know it’s a bit short on you, but it should do the trick while we find you a blanket.”

The youth gave him a gentle smile. “Thank you, _aniki_. But you should go and update the backup, don’t you think?”

“That’s what I’ll do. Try to relax, Tatsuya, I’ll be back soon.” Mirroring his younger brother’s smile and ruffling his hair, Katsuya then walked over to his fellow policemen.

Maya started to comb Tatsuya’s hair back to its usual style. “No, but seriously, Tatsuya-kun. Are you feeling alright?”

“Heh… no,” he admitted, clutching the lapel of his brother’s jacket close to him. “I feel gross.” He swallowed, then grimaced. “Ugh, the taste is _still there_ ,” he complained.

Ulala looked around the hallway. “Is there a water fountain nearby? It’s no sports drink, but maybe water could help clean the taste out.”

“I already stopped there on the way here,” Tatsuya mentioned, rubbing his lips against the back of his hand. “It just wants to stick in my mouth for some reason.”

“It’ll pass,” Maya told him, rubbing his back. “What about your chest? Does it feel sore?”

He nodded. “...I was sure I couldn’t breathe for a moment. That’s how bad I was.” He shuddered.

“Ah, Suou-kun!” The trio turned towards a new group of policemen, one of the officers carrying a blanket against his shoulder and a sports drink in hand. While the rest of them walked past to find the crime scene, the one who had spoken went over to the trio instead. “How are you feeling, Suou-kun?” The officer placed a hand on his shoulder as he took a closer look. “Your brother wasn’t kidding one bit...”

Tatsuya smiled sourly at the comment. “I know. I’m a mess, aren’t I?” His laugh sounded uncomfortable. “Still feeling cold, weak and nauseous, to answer your question, Officer.”

The policeman shook his head. “Your sense of humor’s intact, at least.” He opened the sports drink, passing it to the youth. “Was it raspberry you wanted?”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks for the drink, sir.” He took a sip of it. “Yeah, that’ll hit the spot.”

“Here, Officer, I’ll take the cap, and Sergeant Suou’s jacket once you remove it,” Maya offered. The policeman agreed to the idea, carefully taking off the jacket before placing the blanket in its place. “Mm, that looks better, Officer. Thank you for helping him, he’s been having it rough.”

With a nod, the policeman smiled at the two of them. “Not a problem. If there’s anything we can do for you, Suou-kun, you let us know.”

“Thanks; see you around, sir.” Once left alone with the two ladies, Tatsuya sighed, the tension in his body slowly dissipating. “Good to know he’s still got my back.”

Ulala looked over to him. “What do you mean by that?”

"That was the same policeman I gave my scandal notebook too," Tatsuya explained. "If there's one person in the force besides my brother I can trust, it's him." He looked around. “Hey, where’s Anna?”

“They already sent her to a hospital,” Ulala answered. “So, is she your girlfriend or something?”

“Just a friend, actually.” A blush crept up his face. “The first one in a long time. So, for a bit, I actually… had a crush on her. Even told her. But… I don’t think it would work out between the two of us.”

“Oh?” Ulala tilted her head. “Why is that?”

He rubbed the side of his neck. “We’re, uh… incompatible. I’ll just… leave it at that.” He pointed at her with a frown on his face. “And you didn’t heard it from me.”

“Right, gotcha. It’s our secret.”

Maya had been observing Katsuya talk to his fellow officers. “I don’t think the police will be able to help out with JOKER,” she commented. “All that metaphysical stuff would be beyond them, after all.”

"Mmm," Tatsuya intoned in agreement, taking a swig of his sports drink, as he and Ulala joined Maya in observing his brother. The youth frowned as Katsuya’s face suddenly went blank as he spoke with Captain Shimazu- at least, that’s who Tatsuya thought it was. A moment later, the older brother stormed back to them, clutching the temple of his glasses. He sighed as he joined the trio.

“Can’t believe he just said that...” he muttered.

“ _Aniki?_ What happened?” Tatsuya brought his bottle closer to him.

Katsuya shook his head. “We… had a disagreement, and they discharged me from the case.”

“Did you tell them about Personae?” Maya asked.

“He'd probably think I'm going crazy from with all the late nights I’ve been pouring over all of this, but...” The detective adjusted his glasses. “No, I just told them I was worried about Tatsuya being attacked twice, and asked if there was a way we could protect him besides keeping him inside his designated safehouse. They told me if I wanted to protect him so badly, that I might as well get off the case.”

“ _Aniki,_ you didn’t...”

Katsuya grabbed his jacket from Maya, thanking her, and put it on. “I wish this was a nightmare, that there’s no paranormal thing happening with rumors and demons and...” He adjusted his jacket and looked at his brother. “But running away from the truth won’t protect Tatsuya. As absurd everything is, I have to accept that this is our current reality. And staying on this case will not help me stop JOKER from harming Tatsuya and all of Sumaru.”

Tatsuya blushed, rubbing his finger against his bottle. “You didn’t need to do that, _aniki..._ ”

“I am, after all, one of two detectives who knows the true nature of JOKER. The other one being your host at her apartment, Miyashiro Shiori.” The detective paused. “Tatsuya, is Miyashiro-san capable of assisting us?”

The younger Suou shook his head. “She’s busy with her assignments, and she doesn’t seem to have a Persona, either. I’ll have no choice but to do my part for her sake.”

“Then please,” Katsuya begged, “don’t leave my side.” He grabbed his brother’s shoulders. “I promised myself when you were born that I would always protect you, and I don’t intent to break it anytime soon.”

He could feel Tatsuya tense up. “Then you shouldn’t leave me behind, no matter what, alright? Promise me, _nii-san_.”

“I’ll do my uttermost best to keep that one too, Tatsuya.” The detective’s lips twitched into a soft, gentle smile. “But know your safety comes first.”

“Pffft!” Tatsuya grinned. “I don’t have to worry much with the three of you protecting me!”

Ulala also grinned as she and Maya watched the siblings. “Look at those two! I didn’t think they could be adorable!”

The two brothers’ faces went red, Katsuya letting go of Tatsuya. “I, uh… I take my promises seriously when it comes to Tatsuya, since he’s my little brother, and… never mind.”

“No, no, we understand, Katsuya-san, don’t panic!” Maya tried to reassure. “But we should go somewhere better so Tatsuya-kun can recover, don’t you think?”

With a nod, Tatsuya walked closer to the windows and pointed to the bike racks. “Let’s go find my Frankenbike, then. I could sit on it while I finish my drink.”

 

While they had to help Tatsuya get down the stairs, the walk to the bike racks was otherwise uneventful. Tatsuya sat on the seat of his motorbike, taking a few sips of his drink and placed the bottle between his legs before speaking up.

“Kokuto helped us out with JOKER, if you two were wondering how Anna got to our platform,” he explained to Katsuya and Ulala.

“Kokuto? Isn’t he the one who gave you the bracer?” Katsuya queried, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Tatsuya nodded.

“He wasn’t the only one who saw him; I did, too,” Maya pointed out.

"You saw Kokuto helping out at the end?" Katsuya asked. "What does he look like?"

"Why are you asking her when I saw him face to face?!" Tatsuya reminded him. "Well, she can vouch for me, then." The youth adjusted his posture. "Well, if I wanna keep it simple, I'd say he looks like you at my age, Shimamura Joe from Cyborg 009 and a samurai were placed in a blender and he was the resulting smoothie. He looks exactly like you did when you were eighteen, but he has really long hair that's tied up in some sort of samurai ponytail. Even his bangs are long, and they're draping across his face like this," he moved his free hand across the right side of his face. "He hides his eye like 009 does. And, he's got something like a monocle, except it looks more like glasses frames? It's on the visible side."

"Clothing?"

"Well, he's got the 00 Cyborg scarf and color motif going on. For some reason he's got _furisode_ sleeves paired with a fancy longcoat? He summons his sword outta those sleeves like some sort of magical girl. He's got some military boots on, uh... his pants are like, black jeans or something? I just know they're black. And... that's how much I can remember?" Tatsuya turned to Maya. "What do you remember?"

"His boots has steel toes," she added.

"Right, steel toes, an excellent alternative weapon! And, uh... that's all, I guess?"

Katsuya crossed his arms. "So, basically, what you're saying is that if he didn't look like me, he could've been your type?"

Tatsuya stared pointedly at his brother. " _Aniki_."

"Katsuya-san, please," Maya added, sharing the same expression as her friend. "Don't tease your brother like that."

Ulala perked up. "Oh, you like boys too, Tatsuya-kun? Do you think you can be my wingman?!"

Tatsuya blinked a few times, looking at each of the adults. "Uh, this has to be the weirdest reaction I've ever had when people found out I'm bisexual."

"Shit, I'm so sorry, Tatsuya, I didn't mean to reveal that," the older brother realized, covering his face with his hand.

The youth waved his hand. "It's okay, Ulala-san seems to be fine with it." He turned to Ulala. "And I'm pretty sure you need to look for a wing _woman_ instead."

"Yeah, apparently I'm bad at that job," Maya commented with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Ulala." She looked back at Tatsuya. "Honestly, I'm not surprised it turned out you're bisexual, didn't you have a crush on all the members of the Masked Circle?"

"...Oh, shit, now that you mention it, I did..." his face turned almost as red as his jacket.

She chuckled at his reaction. “You know, it’s like you haven’t outgrown being Tatchan, Tatsuya-kun!”

As a response, Tatsuya pulled his hood over his head in an attempt to hide his face. “Maya-nee, no. Can we be serious for a moment and focus on our next task? Kokuto gave us the chance to halt JOKER’s killings, we have to take it!”

“As absurd as the whole rumor coming true business sounds,” Katsuya noted, “it’s a chance we’ll have to take. Once Tatsuya feels well enough, our next step should be to go to the Kuzunoha Detective Agency and see for ourselves.” He fixed his glasses. “Perhaps along the way, we could find something for you to defend yourself with, Tatsuya. We could find a _shinai_ , a _boken_ , maybe even a baseball bat-”

“Calling baseball bat!” Tatsuya announced. “It would be easier to find and carry around, for one thing.” He grabbed his bottle and took another gulp of the sports drink. “But we’ll have to wait until my arm heals up.”

Maya stared at it. “Are you serious? It’s still numb?” She walked over him and checked underneath his bandages, wincing. “Those marks are still there. That has to be some powerful spell if your arm’s still numb.”

“Yeah...” he sighed, with yet another gulp of his drink. “Maybe it’s because I don’t have a Persona, and the only thing that saved me was the Gear. I don’t wanna be stuck with only one arm for a big while...” He looked over to his brother. “Hey, _aniki_. What should I do with my bike? It looks like I won’t be using it for a while.”

Katsuya stared at the motorcycle. “Well, we’ll have to get it home. You get it towed by the mechanic you go to, right? I’ll pay him for you.”

“My helmet’s still in the Faculty Room, he’ll have to pick that up, too.”

The detective paused. “No complaints about me paying for you, Tatsuya? You usually hate it when I suggest something like that.”

“It’s an emergency.” Tatsuya was ducking his head, his hoodie hiding his blushing face. “And… I haven’t been able to take out any money lately, so I’m broke anyways.”

“I figured that was the case.” Katsuya sat next to him. “So… Kuzunoha Detective Agency. It used to be in Hirasaka, right? Kameya Alley?”

“Then there was this massive shop shuffle that happened a few months ago, due to the Wang Long fortunes,” Maya recalled. “Apparently, as it was predicted, all the stores that moved - _and_ the stores around them that didn’t- gained more clientele, and their businesses boomed as a result. That’s what started the main Wang Long craze.”

“Oh yeah, even though you’re not interested in Wang Long, you did write a report for COOLEST about the Shuffle Boom and how Wang Long affected it,” Ulala remembered. “But why would a detective agency join the shuffle?”

Tatsuya took a sip from his bottle before answering. “I heard my classmates talk about Kuzunoha before; they take paranormal and supernatural cases. Perhaps they thought Hirasaka wasn’t a good place for that anymore. That must be why Kokuto suggested it, actually. We’re talking about the metaphysical world skirting the physical one- Kuzunoha would be the only place that’d believe us.”

“Hold… hold on.” Katsuya raised a finger. “You said you heard this from your schoolmates?”

“Not recently, but yeah. Why?”

The detective straightened his back. “Is there anything else they mentioned that could be useful for us?”

“Not sure, I stopped paying attention to minor rumors since that whole scandal blew up.” The younger brother finished his drink. “The only reason I know about Kuzunoha is because the Shuffle Boom was a big topic before JOKER came around. I… didn’t talk to the others about anything new, either- they were pretty preoccupied about me being outta school.”

“I don’t blame them,” Maya noted. “I mean, we’ve seen how JOKER’s scary stuff first-hand; can you imagine how it is for them, who don’t know what really went down? Of course they’d be worried for you.”

There was a sound of footsteps, and all four turned to check who it was. The girl that was with Anna in the courtyard slowly approached them. “Tatsuya-sempai…?”

“Oh hell,” Tatsuya passed his empty bottle to his brother and slowly stood up to walk towards the girl. “Nori-chan? What are you doing here?”

“...Are you okay?” she asked, fidgeting with the ribbon in her hair. “I heard from other students you weren’t feeling well...”

He smiled sweetly to her. “I’ll be fine, Nori-chan. I just need a bit of time to get over all that shock… that’s all.”

“But your arm...”

He shook his head. “Nothing to worry about, either. It’s just numb. I promise, Anna and I are going to be just fine, alright?” He patted her shoulder. “Believe in us; I know you’re capable of that.”

Her sad expression didn’t fade. “...She didn’t call JOKER. I swear she didn’t.”

“We know, we heard her saying it herself,” Tatsuya tried to reassure her. “Don’t let that bother you at all, okay?” She nodded. “Okay. Are the other students allowed to leave the school now?” She shrugged. “Alright. Just… take care of yourself, Nori-chan. You should see if you can go home and rest… this is been a long day for everyone.”

“You too, _sempai_?”

He laughed. “Nah, the day’s just started for me, I’m afraid. I’ve got a lot of things to do… but don’t worry, I’m not alone.” He looked over to the three adults behind him. “I’ve got help.”

“Oh. That’s good, then.” Noriko gave him a sad, but hopeful smile. “Be careful, _sempai_.”

“I will.”

As the girl turned back and returned to the school, Tatsuya sighed and shook his head. “She’s not taking this well...”

“Who was she, Tatsuya-kun?” asked Maya.

“That was Katayama Noriko, a second-year _kouhai_ ,” he explained as he walked back to them. “She’s not as close to me as Anna is, but I do sort of consider her a friend.”

“We saw her with Yoshizaka-san in the courtyard,” Ulala recalled. “She looked pretty angry when that principal mentioned your name, you know.”

Tatsuya blinked. “Did she now? Huh.” He grinned. “I guess we’re closer than I thought we were.” He passed his hand through his hair. “It makes sense. She’s always around Anna, and Anna always sticks with me, so inevitably, Nori-chan ends up hanging around with me, too.” He looked at his motorbike, then took out his cellphone. “You know, I think I’d better call Akiyama to get my bike out. I should stop by the Faculty Room before leaving to tell them about the helmet, too.”

Katsuya smiled as he stood up. “Feeling better, Tatsuya?”

“Starting to. Better give this blanket back soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song's Origin- The Album _Rumors_ by Fleetwood Mac  
> (Yeah, not a lyric-based title this time, but when something useful falls in your lap, YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.)


	5. Seeking the answers only you could know

“Damn, that’s bad luck, Suou,” Akiyama's husky voice sounded sympathetic as Tatsuya explained his situation to the mechanic. “Tell you what, I’ll do it on the house this time.”

“You don’t need to put it on the house!” the youth yelped into the phone receiver. “My brother can pay you.”

“Don’t worry about payment, I can afford towing your bike for free. You just take care of yourself, alright?”

“Right. Ah, also, my helmet’s at the Faculty Room, so you’ll have to go there to pick it up, if you don’t mind.”

“Not a problem.”

Tatsuya let out the tiniest puff of breath in relief. “Thanks.”

“So, seeya later, then, Suou?”

“Yeah, see you.”

Once the phone call with Akiyama was done, the quartet went back to the Faculty Room to tell the teachers about him and asked them to give him Tatsuya’s helmet. The youth also left the blanket behind, mentioning that he was feeling better, and to give the policeman who helped him his regards.

The students were free to leave the school, but they went by groups, since JOKER only chased his targets when they were alone. Tatsuya waved to some of them as they exited the building.

“So, Rengedai Station next?” Maya suggested.

“If we’re going to Aoba, might as well,” Katsuya realized. “It would be faster that way.”

“So, why do your fellow students call you absent-minded, anyway?” Ulala asked Tatsuya as they left the school grounds. “You seem to have your head on straight to me.”

“Well, remember when I mentioned I don’t really pay attention to things like the Valentine’s chocolates?” the youth reminded her. “It’s why they call me that. I had to learn how to ignore things after what happened with _oyaji_ , and let’s just say I got so good at it, I can block out people yelling right in my ears.”

“As in me when we have our arguments,” Katsuya observed. “I just hope we don’t come to blows anytime soon, especially after everything that happened to you.”

Tatsuya’s face clouded as he looked over to his brother. “I was actually expecting that to happen when we were in the Faculty Room, knowing how you usually react when I’m in danger. Or when you _think_ I’m in danger.”

“I... was given time and updates to ease my fears. Seeing you here, being worried over Yoshizaka-san’s well-being, convinced me you had everything in control.” Katsuya patted the youth’s healthy shoulder. “You have no idea how relieved I am that I was with you when JOKER attacked the school.”

“Nah, I think Tatsuya-kun does,” Ulala commented. “He probably feels the same way, don’t you, Tatsuya-kun?”

“You didn’t need to hit the nail on the head, Ulala-san,” Tatsuya faked being annoyed, with a shy smile on his lips. “But yeah, we’re probably feeling the same relief, for the same reasons. It’s not often we have something in common, after all.”

“That we don’t,” Katsuya agreed. “On a different subject, looks like that sports drink we gave you helped out. You’re not as pale as you were a while ago.”

The younger brother nodded. “Yeah, I don’t feel sick anymore. That taste’s gone, too.” He looked down at the sling. “Now all I need to wait on is my arm.”

“Maybe we should’ve asked Kokuto about it,” Maya wondered. Tatsuya answered her with a one-shouldered shrug.

 

**Aoba Ward**

Walking out of the station, they spotted their destination a few blocks away- Aoba Drive, the ward’s shopping district, where the Kuzunoha Detective Agency was located.

Tatsuya squinted at the blaring sun as the group moved towards their destination. “Ugh, I should’ve brought my sunglasses,” he complained, shielding his eyes with his free hand.

“Which ones?” Katsuya queried. “Your favorite ones or the ones that make us look like twins?”

Maya and Ulala walked closer to the brothers. “Hold on, sunglasses that make you look like twins?!” Ulala repeated. “So they look similar to your brother’s, Tatsuya-kun?”

“They’re both red lenses,” he answered. “The frame’s rounder than his, and it’s a golden color, so they’re not identical.” He grinned. “But when I put them on, people always get confused if I’m _aniki_ or not! You should’ve seen the PD when I came in with them that one time. I almost caused a riot!”

“I heard enough time traveling jokes for a _lifetime_ ,” Katsuya grumbled.

“So, Tatsuya-kun was in his school uniform, then?” Maya deduced. “I mean, since you went to Sevens as well, Katsuya-san.”

A small chuckle came out of the younger brother. “Got it in one, Maya-nee. See, _aniki_ forgot his cell phone at home, so I brought it to the station that day after school, and I had those sunglasses on when I got in. The _whole_ station went silent before someone asked if my brother was still in his office.”

“ _What_?!” Ulala was obviously holding back a laugh, just like Maya. Katsuya’s cheeks turned pink.

“I overheard that, of course,” he pointed out, “so I went to check what was going on. I told them it was Tatsuya, and… everyone freaked out.”

“And he means everyone.” Tatsuya awkwardly grinned, his cheeks just as pink as his brother’s. “It’s a good thing I haven’t had to go back there since, that was embarrassing.”

 

**Kuzunoha Detective Agency  
Aoba Drive**

A few minutes later, the quartet arrived at the detective agency, and Tatsuya’s first reaction was to block his brother’s view of the lucky cat statue, mumbling something about being an adult and having restraint. Katsuya poked him in the ribs with an elbow in response.

A perky young lady ushered the crew into the office, introducing herself as a part-timer by the name of Uchida Tamaki. The actual detective of the agency was an older man- perhaps in his 60-’s- known as Todoroki Daisuke.

Katsuya turned to Tatsuya. “Do you want us to explain everything while you rest on one of those sofas?” he suggested, gesturing to the furniture in the conversation pit. “I know you feel better, but after everything you’ve been through...”

“You’re doing it _again_. You’re worrying over me, and you’re forgetting to worry about yourself,” Tatsuya grumbled. “At this rate, you’re gonna have more gray hairs than _oyaji_ does.”

“Then _go and rest_ if you don’t want me to have more gray hairs than him,” Katsuya ordered.

The youth sighed. “Fine.”

The three adults approached Todoroki’s desk while Tatsuya went to sit on the sofa facing them. The triad explained why they were at the agency, giving the short version of the events at Sevens. Todoroki was initially confused about his office being used to spread rumors, but seemed remarkably open-minded about the idea. He promised that he would develop a method to relay whatever the group wanted him to as quickly as possible.

Once they had arranged for Todoroki to spread their first rumor, that the Sevens Emblem had warding powers against JOKER, Katsuya went to check on Tatsuya, who was now rubbing his shoulder with an expression of discomfort on his face. “Tatsuya, is everything alright?”

“Not really, it’s been tingling- OW! Sunova- agh!” Tatsuya bit down on his lip as he grabbed his right arm. “Okay... I’m starting to- ah- to feel my arm again...”

“Easy now, Tatsuya.” Katsuya knelt in front of his brother to slowly remove the bracer and bandages, exposing the healing Lichtenberg figures on the skin. The detective then began to massage the arm. “Tell me when you can feel your entire arm.”

Maya looked over to the brothers. “Do you need any help?”

“Nah, _aniki_ ’s got it, thanks for asking, anyway.” Tatsuya slowly began to flex his fingers, sighing in relief as they relaxed. “Ah... that feels good!” He smirked, making his newly freed hand into a fist and smacking it into his other palm. “Those demons better watch out, ‘cause Suou Tatsuya’s back in business!” He paused. “Eh, once I get my baseball bat, that is.”

“Someone’s excited to help out even more,” Maya noticed with her usual smile, “even with your master analyzing skills!” Her grin disappeared. “Speaking of analyzing, Tatsuya-kun, did JOKER look the same as the first time you saw him?”

“With Shiori-san?” Tatsuya shook his head, letting his brother fix his bracer back on. “His coat was open, and his face wasn’t covered. But I couldn’t see his face because the lights only turned on when I was hiding from him.” He shuddered. “Sorry, I’m _still_ trying to wrap my head around what just happened.”

Katsuya grabbed the youth’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Being attacked twice by the same person is traumatic, Tatsuya. You’re going to need time to recover from that, but I don’t think you’re willing to stay away from this.”

“’Course not- we’ve got a way to stop JOKER, and I’m not gonna back away. “Tatsuya then let a crack of a smile appear on his face. “Knowing you’re with me… I don’t remember the last time I felt grateful for having you as my brother, but… I'm really feeling that way.”

There was a pause as Katsuya processed his brother’s words, which resulted in another smile. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted from you, Tatsuya, your trust in me.”

“Yeah, I know.” The youth took the bandages from Katsuya, rolled them up and stuffed them in his jeans pocket, before setting himself back against the sofa with his arms crossed. “From the way Psyche and Kokuto were talking, this probably won’t be the only rumor we’ll be spreading. Guess I’ll have to use my old housewife listening skills to get some.”

Maya tapped a finger against her lips. “Well, there are the Rumormongers around town that already do that job,” she recalled. “We could ask them for whatever rumors they know, they might have some that could be useful.”

“That reminds me,” Tamaki said, going over to the computer on Todoroki’s desk and typing something, “there’s this well-known web page among Rumormongers you can also use. It’s known as the Dark Side of Sumaru, run by a Rumormonger known as Baofu. He just happens to be a friend of the chief.”

Tatsuya chewed on his lip. “Baofu… So that’s why everyone at Sevens mentions him. Apparently, his information gathering skills are pretty legendary.” He looked over to his brother with a warning glare, which Katsuya nodded to acknowledge Tatsuya’s message- don’t talk about his connection to the Fuchizaki scandal.

“Oh, he’s even alone in his chatroom at the moment,” Tamaki noted. “Like your friend said, he’s good at gathering information, so maybe he could help you with your problem.”

Maya went to the computer with the rest of her crew, joining the chatroom under the name Rabbit. She typed a question about possible information on JOKER, outside of the usual rumors surrounding him.

[That depends on how much information you have yourself,] Baofu replied. [I’m curious for the reasoning behind your question.]

She looked at the triad surrounding her. Katsuya waved towards the screen, silently saying ‘go ahead’.

[I’ve encountered him just recently.]

The response was almost immediate. [You’ve met JOKER, Rabbit… they say once you’re in his sights, you can’t escape. How did you survive?]

Maya carefully typed her reply. [I doubt you’d believe my story.]

[I’ll know when I see you,] Baofu noted. [We’ll meet in Double Slash, the internet café in Aoba, Rabbit. Tell the worker my handle and do what they tell you.]

He then logged off.

“Well. _That’s_ not suspicious at all,” Tatsuya said, the sarcasm in his voice relaying his actual thoughts.

“Not suspicious _indeed_ ,” Katsuya imitated his brother’s tone.

Todoroki puffed on the pipe he was holding. “Baofu likes to be mysterious, as you can see. But he usually has quality information, and you all seem to be in an impasse.”

“That’s true. I guess we’re going to Double Slash, then,” Maya noted as she logged off the chat room.

 

**Double Slash**

Double Slash, styled as W Slash was located a few buildings away, at the other side of Aoba Drive. The café was placed between two large aquariums, the décor themed around the ocean. A lone orange iMac stood out among its teal brethren.

“Probably a replacement,” Tatsuya commented on the off-colored computer, as the crew went to the front desk to tell the employee Baofu had sent them. The employee brought them to the orange iMac, setting the computer up to return to the Dark Side’s chatroom, where Baofu was waiting.

[Rabbit, I see how you survived,] he typed out. [I didn’t imagine 4 Persona users.]

Everyone’s eyes went wide. Maya’s fingers lingered against the keyboard, and she shook her head. Ulala took a step back. Katsuya looked around the room, hoping to find someone suspicious. Tatsuya edged closer to his brother.

“But how’d he know about us being Persona users!?” Ulala asked.

At the same time, the four experienced the same alertness that comes with caffeine kicking into one’s system, their bodies jerking in response. Tatsuya grasped his arm as he gasped, a warm pulse coming from the bracer.

“This is… a Persona...!?” Katsuya wondered out loud. Like he did before, the crew searched the room for any sign of Baofu, who signed out of the chatroom.

A man that was using a computer in the front row suddenly stood up and looked at them over his shoulder. “You people have just become Persona users,” he noted. “You don’t know how to use your ‘Qi’. It’s obvious...”

“I’m not one _yet_!” Tatsuya yelped, cheeks puffing.

Baofu walked closer to the crew and looked over the youth, frowning. “Now that I focus on you… you’re quite the oddity. Your ‘Qi’ is different than theirs indeed. But let’s not talk about this here.” He faced the entrance doors. “Follow me...” He left the café, leaving the quartet staring at each other with raised eyebrows.

 

The group followed Baofu, maintaining a short distance behind him.

“From the look of things,” Ulala observed, “it looks like he’s leading us to another place in Aoba Drive. Probably the Parabellum bar.”

“Parabellum, huh.” Tatsuya rubbed his hands together. “Looks like my luck’s turning around, then. I’m definitely ordering an Air Soft!”

Katsuya almost stopped walking, halting the rest of the group. "An... Air Soft?"

The youth's mouth went agape. "Do..." He approached his brother closer. "Do you _not_ know the alcohol-free menu?!"

"I didn't know Parabellum has non-alcoholic drinks other than sodas," Katsuya admitted. "Is that a recent thing?"

Tatsuya chewed on his lip. "Uh, for two months now? Something about bringing in more clientele, I heard." He started to count on his hands as he listed the drinks. "So, there's the Air Soft, Nerf, Paintball, Super Soaker, uh... Water Balloon, I think? Cap Gun and Foam Crossbow, and uh... the most expensive one is Hanabi."

The elder brother nodded, taking in the information. "And what is this... Hanabi?"

"I heard it’s the _most_ amazing thing ever," the younger Suou explained, "and comes with a glass you can bring back home. Even people who order something hard get a Hanabi too, it's that popular."

"Are you sure that's not what you want, Tatsuya-kun?" Maya suggested with a grin. "You're too excited over the Hanabi!"

Tatsuya scratched his neck. "Well, where would I put the free glass? Besides, I _really_ want to try the Air Soft. It's a non-alcoholic version of their Magnum drink, apparently!"

Baofu was waiting for them at the entrance of the bar. “Ladies first?” he suggested, opening the door.

“Nope,” the youth flashed him a Cheshire grin when entering the bar. The stranger only cocked an eyebrow at the response.

 

**Parabellum**

Baofu had brought the group to a table not far from the actual bar itself. The Suou brothers sat at the same end of the table, Tatsuya closer to Maya. The bartender approached them for their order- Ulala wanted to try out a Riesling, Maya’s interest was in a cocktail called Angel Trigger, Katsuya took on Baofu’s suggestion of a nice scotch on the rocks, and of course, Tatsuya wanted nothing more than his Air Soft.

Once everyone received their drinks, Baofu looked over to the youth. “First thing first. Why is a kid like him following you three, and why is his ‘Qi’ different than yours?”

Tatsuya paused in the middle of taking out the plastic rapier from his glass. “Hold on. Wouldn’t introductions be better? We already know you’re Baofu, but you only know _her_ from the screen name Rabbit,” he pointed out, nodding towards Maya.

“Fair point. You do look familiar, though, kid- aren’t you one of Kawaguchi’s models for _L’Oiseau Au Vent_?”

“I- yeah. Either you know me through that, or as the Seven Sisters Superstar,” Tatsuya revealed.

Baofu’s eyes narrowed. “Seven Sisters Superstar… that makes you Suou Tatsuya, then. The kid hidden as Boy A of the Fuchizaki scandal some time ago, if I heard it right.”

The youth shifted his eyes towards the bartender, who didn’t seem to be paying attention, before looking back at Baofu. “I thought it’s become old news by now. Do people still talk about it?”

“Nah. It got brought up in a conversation with fellow Rumormongers, when I told them that the Fuchizaki scandal was pretty big news in Taiwan,” the stranger explained. He smirked at the boy. “You’re not a Rumormonger yourself, so I imagine the fallout of the scandal made it harder for information gathering.”

“That, and Katsuya-niisan here’s a detective,” Tatsuya noted, elbowing his brother’s arm. “I’ve already given him trouble then, I’m not in the mood to give him any more.”

“Especially with being one of JOKER’s target,” Katsuya reminded him, gripping his scotch glass, “Though that’s no fault of your own.”

Baofu exhaled, taking his glasses off and rubbing his face. “Right. Yeah. Of _course_ high school students would get targeted. This place’s gone mad.” He put his glasses back on. “So it wasn’t just Rabbit, then. Could you have been targeted for being the Superstar?”

Tatsuya shrugged. “I was never told why, and I don’t know who could’ve done it. I did hear rumors that it’s someone in Sevens, and I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m the only student there Kasu doesn’t do shit against, after all.”

The Rumormonger smirked behind his scotch glass. “That, the others in the chatroom mentioned too. You’re quite intriguing, Tatsuya… you even have a detective as a brother.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s helpful at times. After all,” he cleared his throat before shifting his voice to a mimicry of his brother’s, “Tatsuya is my utmost responsi-”

Katsuya slapped his hand over Tatsuya’s mouth, feeling the Cheshire smile forming against his palm. “I’d appreciate it if you don’t impersonate me in a public space, _Tatchan_. Though you’re right that you’re my biggest responsibility.”

Tatsuya only replied with muffled giggling. Baofu set his glass down, still smirking.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting a bit of entertainment in this meeting,” he admitted, before turning towards the ladies. “I’d imagine neither of you are related to these two, then.”

“Not related, but Tatsuya-kun and I are childhood friends,” Maya admitted. “I’m Amano Maya, editor for COOLEST. I was asked to gather information about JOKER at his school when everything went to shit.”

“I’m her roommate, Serizawa Ulala. We had other plans for the day, Maaya and I, but that got shot down with everything that happened,” she lamented. “And here I was hoping to find the man of my dreams tonight...” She sighed as she rubbed her fingers against the stem of her wine glass.

Baofu’s smirk shifted a bit. “Oh? You sure that’s not Detective Suou right in front of you?”

With his lips against his glass, Tatsuya froze and stared at his brother with the biggest look of absolute concern that Maya had ever seen on his face. Katsuya looked between everyone around the table, his expression growing more and more horrified as he understood the meaning of Baofu’s words. Ulala gaped at Baofu, eyebrows furrowed.

“ _Nii-san_ ’s not... part of the dating scene,” the youth declared as he gingerly placed his Air Soft down. “He’s got a lot of stuff to deal with on the daily, he doesn’t have time to date.”

“Can we _please_ change the subject?!” Katsuya yelped, his face almost as red as his shirt. “We’re here to talk about the events surrounding JOKER and Persona business, not about my love life or lack thereof!”

Baofu adjusted his glasses. “Of course, I was going to get back on that subject. Perhaps you can now explain your story, why Tatsuya’s with you and how it is that his ‘Qi’ is different from yours?”

Like with Todoroki and Tamaki, the quartet told their story involving JOKER, using Tatsuya’s fading Lichtenberg markings as proof of the events. The youth mentioned that it wasn’t his first meeting with JOKER, either, staying vague on the former events.

“...I see. Interesting...” Baofu commented once their tale was over, taking a gulp of his scotch.

“We said about all we know, Tatsuya’s omissions aside,” Katsuya finalized, patting his brother’s shoulder when referencing him. “Now it’s your turn.”

“From what I’ve researched,” the stranger began, “the JOKER rumors are taken from some TV show, which then started to spread like wildfire. But before that, not even the ‘J’ in JOKER was known to the public. There’s just one exception; where do you think it is?” No one answered him, but he noticed Tatsuya’s grip on his glass was rather tight, like he wanted to strangle something. “The phone of Sudou Tatsuzou.”

Katsuya and Maya looked to each other in confusion, neither noticing Tatsuya biting his lip and searching the pocket holding his lighter. Baofu also didn’t pay attention to the youth’s reaction, taking another sip of his scotch.

“Tatsuya-kun?” Ulala intoned gently. “Is something wrong? Do you know who this Sudou person is?”

“I, uh… Never mind me, I just... I’m surprised you don’t know the current foreign minister,” Tatsuya said. He turned to his brother. “Did I get that right, _aniki_?”

“That’s right.” Katsuya faced Baofu. “How would you… you used a wiretap, didn’t you?” he accused. “You do know that’s illegal, I hope.”

Tatsuya frowned. “We’re past legalities, _aniki_. The law of the physical world doesn’t apply to the metaphysical… we don’t have a choice but to trust in illegal methods if we’re going to stop JOKER.”

“Tatsuya, how can you be so-”

"Okay, Katsuya, we need to talk about something _important_ right now," Tatsuya interrupted as he grabbed a nearby napkin, "and if someone has a marker or something, that would be great."

Katsuya quickly turned to face his brother as Maya offered her pen to the youth. "What did I do now?! You didn’t used any honorifics on me!"

"Thanks, Maya-nee. Now, aniki, there's something that I want you to understand right now before we do anything else." He wrote 'Katsuya's Mind,' then the word 'reality' lower on the napkin, and drew a Venn diagram under each. The circles under under Katsuya's name almost completely intersected, while the circles representing reality only shared about three-quarters of their area with each other. "Alright. So, the right circles are what's legal to do," he wrote the words under the two right circles, "and the left circles are what's the right thing to do," he labeled the left circles accordingly. He lifted up the napkin to show everyone his handiwork. "See a difference?"

Baofu whistled admiringly. "That's not a bad diagram under reality, kid. Pretty close to what it actually is."

Katsuya glared at both of them as he fixed his glasses and cleared his throat. "I'd thank you for not mocking me-"

"I'm not mocking you, I'm just pointing out that even after that shit went down with _oyaji_ , your perception of law is pretty fucking skewed," Tatsuya said, nonchalantly taking a sip of his drink.

The detective picked up the napkin and stared at it intensely. “...Is this really how you see me, Tatsuya?” he whispered.

The youth lowered his glass and sighed. “I’m sorry. I think you know why.”

Katsuya let go of the napkin, his face clouding. “Unfortunately.” He glared at Baofu. “I hope there’s more information there from your wiretapping about Sudou and his relation to JOKER.”

“Of course I do; I’d rather not do things by half, after all.” Baofu had lit up a cigarette. “It’s been going around that he’s been doing some pretty dirty stuff underground. That ten year unresolved copycat murder case… It’s an infamous rumor between police and investigators that it was his son.”

“That’s because it _was_.”

Everyone turned to face Tatsuya, who had pulled out his lighter to rub his thumb against, his face an expression of so many shifting emotions one couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Katsuya, Maya and Ulala were staring at him with gaping mouths and wide eyes, while Baofu frowned at this revelation.

“And you know this how, kid?”

“I guess it’s the best time for me to come clean about it, huh...” Tatsuya took a deep breath, took a large gulp of his Air Soft, and settled himself in his chair. “ _Nii-san_ , you remember what JOKER called you when we fought those demons in the clock tower?”

“He called me his _kouhai…_ ” Katsuya brought his hand to his chin in a reflective pose. “That… that’s right… my first year in Sevens, I had a third-year _sempai_ named Sudou.” His eyes went wide. “His name was Sudou _Tatsuya_.”

“Yeah. His name uses different _kanji_ , so our names are homophones, but… I’ve been calling him my homonym instead because of that.” Tatsuya rubbed his thumb against his lighter again. “But I guess I’d better start from the beginning, when I was at Club Zodiac after my insomnia got hold of me again.”

“On the 13th of this month,” the detective recalled.

“Yeah, that Monday.” He sighed, putting his elbow on the table so he could support his head with his hand. “I’m not sure how much of the details I’m in the mood to talk about… I can say this- when JOKER attacked me and the detective who was investigating him, he not only confirmed he was the copycat murderer from ten years ago, but his true identity.” He rubbed his neck. “What else am I able to say…?”

“Don’t push it, Tatsuya. It’s obvious you actually _don’t_ want to talk about this,” Baofu peered at the youth over his glasses. “What do you say we pay Sudou Junior a little visit? Seems like it would be best for the rest of us to hear everything from him, wouldn’t you say?”

Maya leaned forward. “You know where he is, then.”

“That I do,” the stranger revealed.

She looked over to Katsuya. “What do you say? Are you okay with this?”

The detective shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t like this at all, but if Tatsuya’s alright with telling Baofu the truth, then I’m _willing_ to tolerate this for his sake. I’d like to hear the truth myself, after all, and having someone else with a Persona help us would be beneficial in the long run.”

“Then I guess we’re in this together, Baofu,” Maya announced. “Is there anything we should do before we leave?”

“There are a few things,” Baofu mentioned. “First, I want to make sure this whole ‘rumor turning into reality’ thing actually works. I bet you didn’t think of testing that yourselves.”

“Not in an obvious way, now that you mention it. What do you have in mind?” asked the journalist.

Baofu took out his cellphone and dialed a number. “Yeah, Todoroki? I’m in Parabellum right now. Spread a rumor that they’re selling weapons here.”

Tatsuya grabbed his brother’s arm. “Hold on, wait, did he just ask that?! Did he just...”

“Yes, yes I did.” Baofu, his conversation with Todoroki over, was placing his cellphone back in his pocket. “I’d like to prepare things in advance, since I can tell this is about to get rather… chaotic. We shouldn’t be the only ones defending ourselves, if you ask me.”

“ _Aniki_ ,” the youth said with his eyes gleaming. “Do you think that would include a baseball bat?”

Katsuya was failing to hide his expression of regret. “I… I’m not quite sure, Tatsuya,” he responded in a defeated tone. “If there is one, you’d want me to buy it, right? Since you’re broke?”

Tatsuya gently tapped his finger against his lighter. “I mean, if it’s okay with you. I’m sure there’s an ATM nearby I can use, or maybe Parabellum accepts debit cards… You don’t need to spend your money on me if you don’t have to.”

“No, I’ll buy it. I wanted to pay your towing, but Akiyama said it was on the house, right?” Katsuya patted his brother’s arm. “I don’t want you to spend too much money right now.”

“Fine, fine, be that way,” Tatsuya pretended to grumble, swatting his brother’s hand away. He then cocked his head, a look of dawned realization forming on his face. “...You know what I just realized?” he told the adults.

Ulala put down her wine glass after a sip. “Yeah? What is it, Tatsuya-kun?”

The youth leaned forward. “We’re like, in a conspiracy thriller movie. With magical stuff.”

Katsuya shrugged. “I mean, you’re not _wrong_...”

“Excuse me.” The bartender approached the crew with a briefcase, which he opened to reveal three guns within. Everyone’s eyes went wide at it. “Would anyone be interested in our other merchandise?”

“I...” Tatsuya lifted a finger up. “Not these, but would there be any blunt weapon like a baseball bat for sale?”

The bartender mused for a moment. “There are, in fact. If that’s what you’re interested in, then please join me at the bar. I’ll present you what we have available.”

The youth grinned as he followed the bartender to the bar, almost skipping there in joy.

“I’m surprised...” Baofu commented with awe in his voice. “Hell, it actually worked!”

“This is going to be a headache for the police, on top of the whole JOKER deal,” Katsuya realized. He then looked over to the napkin Tatsuya doodled on, sighed, then went to find his brother. “Wasn’t I supposed to pay for your bat, Tatsuya?!” he reminded him.

Maya stared at the Suous before turning to the rest of the team. “...I haven’t seen them again for long, but… something feels funny about the brothers.” Baofu signaled her to continue her thoughts. “It’s like… I dunno, it’s like it’s been a long time since they were able to talk earnestly. Without any walls between them.” She took a sip of her cocktail. “At least, that’s the impression I’m getting.”

“Hmmm.” The older man looked over at the brothers, Tatsuya holding his chosen baseball bat gleefully while Katsuya payed the bartender for the youth’s new weapon. “The Fuchizaki scandal… I wouldn’t be surprised if that soured their relationship for a while, considering that Suou’s a detective. And now, as a JOKER target...” he trailed off as the Suous returned to their seats. “So, what sort of bat do you have there, Tatsuya?”

“It’s a nice maple one,” Tatsuya presented his bat with a big grin on his face. “I heard this specific one lasts a long time in baseball, so I thought it would be a good choice. What do you think?”

Katsuya was caught off guard by the proud smile Baofu gave his brother. “Speaking as a baseball fan myself,” the newcomer began, “I believe you choose wisely. Sturdy, but with enough flexibility to handle a thrown ball. That’s why a maple bat is good.”

The youth shifted to his Cheshire cat grin. “See, _aniki_? I told you this was the one!”

The detective fixed his glasses, sighing. “So it seems.” He looked among the rest of the crew. “So, this formally confirms that rumors are coming true. Which means the rumor about Sevens’ Emblem being a ward against JOKER became true, as well.”

Maya nodded, taking out the emblem out of her pocket. “The question is, what do we do with it?”

Ulala frowned. “You’re not keeping it?! But don’t you want to be protected by JOKER?”

“That’s the thing. I don’t think JOKER intends to kill me, or any of us, anytime soon,” Maya stated. “He said something about being granted salvation by us at the clock tower, remember?”

Baofu frowned. “That’s the thing that trips me up. More reason to see him, then.”

“Well,” Tatsuya grabbed his lighter and handed it to Maya, “it’s up to you on what to do with it. I’m just giving you another solution with this.”

She eyed his Zippo, carefully taking it in her hand. She flipped it open, lit it up and set the emblem on fire. She set it on the ashtray nearby, letting it burn.

“Oh look, it’s a Fire Emblem,” Tatsuya observed. When everyone at the table looked at him, he shrugged. “I just know it’s a game series’ title, never played it.” He passed a hand through his hair. “Now what?”

“There’s another place we should go… the Velvet Room,” Baofu pointed out. “It has something to do with demons, apparently.”

“Oh right, that place that nice Slime told us about,” the youth recalled, thanking Maya as she passed him his lighter back. “Apparently those Tarot Cards we’re getting are tied to that place, so it would be nice to see what they’re offering, if it’s going to help us.”

“Then once we’re done with our drinks, we’ll give a visit to this Velvet Room,” Katsuya announced. “It would be rude not to get our money’s worth after all.”

“Heh, now you’re talking!” Ulala winked at the detective before downing the rest of her wine. “You know, this would be a good place for a date, if this is their best wine. You’re sure you’re not interested, detective?”

Tatsuya glanced at his brother, whose face was turning red. “I’m pretty sure at the moment he’s not interested whatsoever, Ulala-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Lyrics: Catherine Warwick|Earthbound Beginnings- Wisdom of the World


	6. Journey To The Past

As the door to Parabellum shut behind the group, Maya turned to Baofu. “So, the Velvet Room. Do you know where it is?”

“It’s a blue door that looks out of place,” he told her. “If I remember correctly, it’s next door to Rosa Candida, which is further down this direction.”

Just as Baofu said, next to the clothing shop was the blue door. After turning to look at her companions for confirmation, Maya turned the handle and entered the Velvet Room.

 

**Velvet Room**

The Velvet Room was completely decorated in different shades, tints and tones of blue. It was a circular room, with curtains for walls and a geometric patterned carpet under one’s feet. On a two-staged square platform were a group of people that seemed to be waiting for the crew. Everyone residing in the room wore black, although some of their clothes were accented with blue.

A long-haired man stood near an easel at one corner of the main square; a blindfolded pianist played a soothing melody; a woman wearing a dress reminiscent of Psyche’s sang along with the piano.

But it was the man sitting in the center sofa that was the most intriguing.

Despite his tuxedo, he reminded of Maya of a typical depiction of a tengu- long spindly limbs, pointed ears, bloodshot eyes and a ridiculously long nose that rivaled Pinocchio's. A wide Cheshire grin, wider than Tatsuya’s, seemed to be stuck permanently to his face.

And yet, despite his creepy appearance, there was a welcoming aura about him. The same one the editor felt around Psyche.

She approached the center of the Room. The tengu-like man’s eyes lit up when she stood in front of him. Tatsuya followed behind her, his hand resting above his Gear. The rest of the crew lingered at the door.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room,” the man greeted. “This is where the different forms of people’s hearts are called to awaken… By order of our Ladyship Psyche, we have been awaiting you. My name is Igor.”

“Like in the Frankenstein movie,” Tatsuya whispered to his friend.

The singer stopped her song before addressing the group, singing her introduction. “I am Belladonna- I sing for those who challenge- The monster known as oneself.”

She returned to her song when the pianist turned to face the duo in front of Igor, still playing his instrument. “I am Nameless… The piano player who opens the closed doors of the heart...”

“I am the Demon Artist,” the man near the easel said. “I am the artist who draws the gods and demons that dwell within people.”

Igor spoke again. “We are told to assist the awakening of your new hearts, your new Personae. I am very glad to make your acquaintance...”

“...Wait, _new_ Personae?” Tatsuya frowned. “Is that why we’re getting all these Tarot Cards?”

A chime sounded out in the room, and the residents stopped their actions, looking towards the door.

“How unusual,” said Nameless. “Her Ladyship doesn’t come to this room unless it’s necessary.”

“Psyche’s coming, huh...” Baofu commented, positioned near the door- which seemed to be inside a mirror frame. “Maybe she’ll explain the whole new Personae bit.”

“There is _no_ need to be aloof, Baofu.” The door opened, but it wasn’t to Aoba Drive. Instead, it was to the top-most balcony the group saw in their first meeting with Psyche. The goddess, now wearing a sheer golden shawl over her dress, walked into the room. “If you do not mind, my dear Igor, I will explain the nature of Collective Personae to them, as I am in a mood for conversation.”

“My lady, please, go ahead,” Igor agreed with a wave of his hand.

“I see that there are no users here with the power of the Wild Card, one who can connect with the entire Major Arcana. _That_ will make things easier for this group in the long run.” She walked over to stand next to Igor’s sofa. “Currently, all of you possess affinity to certain archetypes that Personae represent. The ones you possess at the moment reflect your entire, immediate being; they are known as Individual Personae. No one else can summon your Persona, as they are a reflection of your soul.” She pointed to Katsuya. “In example, someone cannot summon _your_ Helios, but can have _a_ Helios of their own with a distinct appearance, signifying the difference between your association with Helios and theirs.” She then gestures with her other hand towards Igor. “The residents here call upon the Collective Personae, who can connect with all of you, as long as you possess affinity with their archetype.

“Of course, there are _other_ limits I must impose for your safety. You must use the Tarot Cards given to you by the demons to summon a Collective Persona, and the more powerful the Persona, the more cards you need. You cannot summon one that is stronger than your strongest user in your group. Lastly, counting your Individual Personae, you cannot bring more than a baker’s dozen with you.”

Tatsuya stifled laughter upon hearing two familiar words. “Baker’s dozen… I mean, of course you would know about it, you’re humanity itself, it’s just… it just caught me off guard.” His face turned serious. “So we’ll be able to use more skills, in that regard. I’ve noticed with the Visor, there are certain elements missing among our current skill set.”

He couldn’t tell if Psyche was smiling or smirking. “An astute observation, Suou Tatsuya. I have chosen the user of my Visor well.” She looked over to Katsuya, who was observing the golden markings on her arms. “It is _not_ a coincidence that the JOKER Persona shares my markings, if that is the question on your mind, Suou Katsuya.”

Katsuya tensed up at her response. “I, uh… does it convey a different meaning?”

“I would imagine his represents the darkness within humanity’s hearts, while mine represents humanity as a whole.” Psyche held out her hand, and a packet of Tarot Cards appeared, hovering over her palm. “Forgive me for cutting this short; I have business in the Collective Unconsciousness to deal with. Here are Fool Cards- you are not yet ready to use them, but I believe there is no harm in starting their collection. Please,” she sent the cards towards Tatsuya, “tread carefully. Protect each other. And most of all, do _not_ lose hope.” She turned to the residents of the Room. “Igor, Belladonna, Nameless, and you, the Demon Artist… I leave them in your care.”

“Of course, My Lady,” Igor told her. “We shall do our part in your stead.”

“Thank you.” She turned to the guests. “We shall meet again, children. Until then, good luck.” With a bow, Psyche crossed the room and went back through the door, returning to her Domain.

“So, uh… are you taking them, or am I keeping them?” Tatsuya asked Maya as he held the packet of Fool Cards.

Maya looked at the packet. “I, ah… let me summon some Personae, first, then I’ll see who’s keeping them.” She took out the other Tarot cards in her pocket. “...Uh, what’s the use of the Free Cards?”

The Demon Artist smiled at the sight of the cards. “That’s where my role in this comes in. I can modify these Free Cards into any Arcana except the Fool. I’d advice checking what’s available for you to summon before changing them, however.”

Exactly where Igor pulled out a fancy menu wasn’t clear, but he gave it to Maya. “The Personae in gray are the ones you aren’t able to summon yet; the ones you are able to are in navy blue.”

“I, uh...” Tatsuya blinked, looking at the rest of the adults around him. “Why’s it a menu?”

Nameless chuckled. “Her Ladyship possesses a unique sense of humor. Consider it part of the Velvet Room’s experience.”

“Well, this _does_ look like a cocktail lounge,” Baofu commented. “I guess the menu is just part of the look.”

Maya flipped through the menu. “...Hmmm. If I change some Free Cards to Emperor, we could summon three new Personae.” She passed it to an approaching Katsuya, counting out the amount of Cards needed to summon the Persona under the Emperor Arcana. She presented said Cards to the Demon Artist. “I’d like these to be Emperor, please.”

“Of course.” He took the Free Cards. “If you’ll excuse me...”

While Maya, Ulala and Katsuya watched the Demon Artist create new cards, Tatsuya wandered over to Baofu. “...Being the only teenager in a group made up of adults… I’m gonna apologize in advance if I’m gonna be a bother, Baofu-san.”

“There’s no need, I can already tell you’re reliable.” The older man looked over his glasses, noticing the youth had his lighter out again, and was rubbing his thumb against it. “Something wrong?”

“Mmm.” Tatsuya observed Maya summoning the new Personae with a blank stare. “I… I think I can’t use them either. I don’t think I’m ready to use a Persona yet.” His laugh might have been mistaken as forced, but Baofu knew it was one of self-depreciation.

“Do you think it’s your fault that you can’t use them?”

The youth flicked his lighter. “I just… I don’t know. Other people _might_ say it is, but...”

"Eh." Baofu smirked and patted the youth's shoulder. "You're a good kid, Tatsuya. You've done nothing wrong."  
  
Tatsuya froze, eyes going wide before turning towards the older man. "Hold on, didn't you...?"  
  
Katsuya looked up from checking out the new Personae with the ladies. "Is something wrong, Tatsuya?"  
  
"...I-It's nothing. Probably _déja vu_ or something in that family," the younger brother explained. "We've only met, right, Baofu-san?"  
  
"As far as I'm aware," came Baofu's answer. "Don't worry about it, kid. Probably one of your Gear's powers, if you ask me."

“I- alright.” Tatsuya slipped his lighter back in his pocket. “So, uh, is there anything else we need to do here, Maya-nee?”

“Well, not in the Velvet Room, itself… but I feel like we’re not done with Aoba Drive at all,” Maya told him.

Nameless turned to face her. “Your friend from work… the photographer. She was once a guest of this Room. Perhaps you’d like to call her for advice.”

Maya straightened her posture. “Really? Yukki?” She began to play with her earlobe. “Hmmm…”

“I was thinking of going to the Satomi Tadashi next,” Baofu informed the rest of the crew. “Persona skills are good and all, but they can’t always help us, and ending up in a situation without any external aid is just… asking for death.”

Katsuya nodded. “That is rather wise advice. Amano-kun, perhaps you could contact your friend for tips on what to buy?”

Maya took out her cellphone. “Yeah, sure, hold on.”

Tatsuya leaned towards her while she dialed Yukino’s number. “Was it just me, or did it sound like Baofu was talking out of experience?”

“It wasn’t just you.” She brought the phone to her ear. “I could’ve sworn I heard sadness when he mentioned that.” She then perked up. “Yukki! Hey, something just came up with the JOKER case, and I need your help. Uh, do you remember a place called the Velvet Room…?”

 

**Satomi Tadashi**

Maya looked over the list she wrote while on the phone with Yukino. “So, as long as we can budget enough to get these, we should be in the clear with fighting demons in our next destination.” She noticed Tatsuya moving towards the allergy medicines. “Tatsuya?”

“ _Aniki_ ,” he called out, “which one doesn’t make you loopy?”

Katsuya’s face glowed pinker as the crew walked towards the youth. “Hold on there, why would I need that? I doubt I’ll be needing it.”

“You never know when you’ll encounter a cat, Sumaru’s got plenty of strays around.”

Maya stood dumbfounded as she stared at the brothers, the eldest one glowing redder by the minute. “Is… Is Katsuya-san allergic to cats?!”

Ulala imitated her roommate’s reaction. Baofu smirked to himself, obviously enjoying this little detail about the detective.

“But _Helios_ is a cat!” Maya frowned. “Wait. Are you telling me… that Katsuya-san adores cats, but he’s allergic?!”

“That’s what it is,” Tatsuya revealed. “I mean, there is medicine to help him out, but some of them… get him loopy. Like he’s drunk.” He turned back to his brother and waved to the boxes in front of them. “If we’re taking precaution with everything, we might as well consider your allergies.”

Katsuya let out a long, suffering sigh. Maya could tell from the brothers' expressions that this was a common reaction to Tatsuya's antics. “Alright. It’s this one over here,” he told the youth in a defeated tone, picking up a box of allergy medicine.

 

A few minutes later, everyone had gathered an ideal assortment of pharmaceuticals for the job ahead. Katsuya’s cheeks were still a touch pink from his earlier embarrassment, helping Maya placing the items in front of whichever Satomi Sister was at the register. Behind him, Tatsuya and Ulala started to whisper to each other.

“Is she Tadashi-san’s mom?”

“Tadashi-san? Like, as in the store brand?”

“Yeah, it was apparently named after him. He’s Todoroki-san’s and Tamaki-san’s coworker… from what I overheard when we left Kuzunoha, he’s investigating some silly rumor ‘bout Kasu being invaded by demons.”

“Been practicing your eavesdropping, eh, Tatsuya-kun?”

“...It was unintentional, Ulala-san.”

The woman behind the register ignored the two, announcing the price of the total merchandise. Maya took out a small coin purse out of her pocket, which Katsuya realized was filled with the money the demons could leave behind after a battle.

‘Well, isn’t that useful,’ the detective thought. And here he was panicking over the cost of Tatsuya’s bat, which the youth had in a carrying case slung over his shoulder. Why didn’t Amano-kun mentioned this beforehand?

‘She probably thinks you’ve got a lot of things to worry about, _aniki_ ,’ Katsuya imagined his brother telling him. And he would be right. It would be best to ask about it later.

 

“That song in that store is going to stick in my head for _hours_ ,” Ulala complained as they walked towards the train station. “And who’s bright idea was it to make _variations_ of that stupid thing?!”

“Marketing technique, obviously,” Maya noted. “You have to admit, it’s pretty catchy.”

“A little _too_ catchy,” Tatsuya groaned as he rubbed his forehead. “Should’ve brought my Discman, could’ve gotten this earworm outta my head.” He sighed. “Ah well, guess we’re gonna hope that whatever song’s on at the station’s good enough to replace it.” He turned to Baofu. “Where to next?”

“ _Now_ we can go and meet up with Sudou Junior. We’ll have to take the train to Mt. Katatsumuri to do so.”

“The sanitarium,” Katsuya recalled what was located at the mountain. “I’ve always been curious- well, suspicious about that place… The pieces I’m placing together are starting to make sense.”

“Doesn’t it?” Tatsuya’s voice was like his face back when he revealed the truth about Sudou: a tone of indiscernible emotions even his brother couldn’t distinguish. “The copycat murder of August 13th, 1989… it’s time we have answers to the questions we’ve been asking for… don’t you think so, _nii-san_?”

“That we do.” Katsuya heard the familiar click of Tatsuya’s Zippo, frowned, and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

He didn’t miss Baofu doing the same on the other side.

 

**Mt. Katatsumuri**

“We should use the back road,” Tatsuya suggested as the group approached the base of the mountain. The rest of the adults turned to him. “Look, the sanitarium’s built near a former shrine dedicated to the Kurosu ancestor, Kuroda Junnosuke- you remember Jun bringing us there once, back with the Masked Circle, right, Maya-nee?”

“I remember a route in the trees to find the shrine,” Maya said. “And there was a building being built there, if I think about it. That’s the sanitarium?”

The youth nodded, looking towards the main entrance. “I… I just have a gut feeling we won’t be able to go through the main entrance. Sneaking through the back road would guarantee no one being there, because it’s a longer way. ...Among other reasons.”

“You think it’s haunted?” Baofu suggested.

“Well, more likely swarming with demons, considering who’s living there,” Tatsuya explained. “If we do find the shrine, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave an offering, though.”

“Alright then, the back road it is,” Maya accepted the suggestion. “Let’s go, guys.”

 

As Tatsuya predicted, demons patrolled the path.

“I guess it’s ass whooping time, then!” Maya announced, drawing out her guns from her pockets.

The rest of the group turned to face her, gaping at the realization that she was walking around with _guns in her pockets_ since leaving Sevens.

“...You had those on you the entire time,” Katsuya realized, a horrified expression twisting his face. “They were there, visible, _in plain sight_ , and I didn’t...”

“No one registered that you had your guns with you,” Baofu finished the detective’s thoughts. “I did see them myself, when I met you at Double Slash, but it didn’t hit me they existed ‘til now. So, what’s the trick, Amano?”

She shrugged before turning to Tatsuya. “Do you have a suggestion?”

“Considering that they’re apparently from Psyche, she must’ve enchanted them so they can be hidden in plain sight; that we can _see_ them, but not _notice_ them,” the youth commented. “That’s the most logical thing I can think of right now.”

Katsuya nodded to his brother’s words. “That… actually make sense. A perception filter, we could call it.”

“Must be the same thing with Helios,” Tatsuya teased with an elbow poke to the older Suou’s ribs.

Katsuya made a sour face. “I’m pretty sure Personae are a different category, Tatsuya...”

 

“Wow. Whew...” As the protection barrier dissipated around them from their last skirmish, Tatsuya started to fan himself. “Can we take a break? I don’t know if the Visor drains me or somethin’, but I’m starting to feel a little exhausted...”

“You haven’t had the best day today, Tatsuya-kun,” Maya reminded him. “Everyone else agree on a breather, then? I can use one, too.”

“Might as well. When your mind is your biggest weapon, you’d want to keep it in good shape,” Baofu pointed out, tapping the side of his head.

The group went into the shade near trees, Tatsuya resting against one. He took out his new bottle of sports drink from his bat carrier, twisting the cover open before guzzling down his grape flavored drink. He pointed to Maya, bottle still in hand. “Hey, Maya-nee, those Personae you summoned at the Velvet Room, d’you mind if I check them out?”

She dug into one of her pockets. “Yeah, hold on a second… There we go.” She passed him the three cards. “You haven’t seen them up close, right?”

“Nope.” He placed the bottle next to him and fanned the cards. “Pixie, Poltergeist, and Airgetlam...” He pointed to each of them. “I saw that Pixie starts with Dia, and both Poltergeist and Airgetlem has Magna as their first skill… Wait a minute.” He cocked his head and an eyebrow, separating Pixie from the two other cards. “Huh…?” Then he tried with separating Airgetlem from the others. “...Why do I feel a different energy from Airgetlem than the two others?”

“Can I see them myself?” Katsuya asked. Tatsuya gave him the cards. “...Huh. They all feel the same to me.”

Baofu looked between the brothers. “Hey, Amano, did you noticed something funny with the cards when you held them?”

She frowned at looked at the cards. “Actually, now that you mentioned it… I feel a weaker energy from Pixie than the others. Why?”

“Trying to add things up. Suou, mind passing them here?” Once given the cards, he examined them closely. “Well, isn’t this strange.”

“What is?” asked Tatsuya. “What’s wrong?”

“I feel _nothing_ with Pixie, and Poltergeist is the complete opposite, like, crazy energy. The Airgetlem’s energy’s pretty nice, too.” Baofu frowned. “Still not enough data, if you ask me… Hey, Serizawa, take them.” He passed her the cards. “Check how they relate to you with your energy.”

Ulala stared at them, bouncing her legs. “Oooh, I feel lots of energy from Pixie! Poltergeist isn’t too bad, but Airgetlem… it’s really weak.” She stared at the Pixie card. “Why do we feel different energy reactions towards the Personae, anyway?”

“Like I said, not enough data in my point of view. The more Personae we get, the more we should be able to figure it out.” Baofu grinned. “But hey, try summoning that Pixie, Serizawa. I wanna see what it’s like to summon a different Persona.”

She glared at him. “Why me?”

“Humor him, Ulala-san,” Tatsuya told her after taking a swig of his drink. “But I’d like to see that too.”

“Well, if you insist...” She gave the two other Personae cards back to Maya. She examined the Pixie card, flourishing it in front of her before the familiar summoning aura surrounded her. The card dissipated as the Pixie Persona appeared above Ulala.

The rest of the group stared at the small figure hovering before them.

“Okay, so we need to be _holding_ the card to summon a Collective Persona, that’s good to know,” Maya noted. “How did it feel, summoning it?”

“Not that different from summoning Callisto, really,” Ulala admitted. “Anyone got bruises that need taking care of?”

Tatsuya pulled up his sleeve, showing that the Lichtenberg pattern, while faded, was still present on his skin. “We haven’t tried Dia on these-”

“It’s you!” The Pixie quipped as she flew in front of him. He blinked at her. “I told you I could heal your arm!” she chastised. He kept on staring as she pointed to his arm and a yellow aura surrounded it- and disappeared without the scars changing at all. “Huh… it usually works.”

“You’re that Pixie from Sevens...” the youth realized.

“Uh… Surprise?” The Pixie chuckled lightly. “I wasn’t expecting it either! I thought you guys looked familiar, and then I saw your jacket...”

Katsuya lowered his glasses, looking at his brother. “...It IS ridiculously red,” he remarked.

“That’s why I love it so much,” Tatsuya admitted. “Bold, in your face, a perfect fit…” He emphasized the last part by passing a hand over his side. “Wish it worked better as a mood booster, or gave me more confidence...”

“Well, even if it doesn’t help you much, _I_ think it looks fantastic on you,” Pixie told him with a wink.

“...Can we keep her on the team?” he pleaded. “I like her already.”

 

“You know, I just realized something,” Tatsuya spoke as they continued their trek towards the sanitarium. “Who was that lady at the station with you, Maya-nee? I’ve never asked who she was.”

“Oh right, that was actually Yukki. Weird coincidence, right?” She looked up ahead. “...Hold on, Tatsuya-kun, isn’t that…”

“The Fuyou shrine… dedicated to the Kurosu ancestor, Kuroda Junnosuke,” the youth announced solemnly, approaching the small shrine. The adults soon followed him. “...Although the family name changed somewhere between the Sengoku period and now, the tradition of naming a child after him in the family is seen as good luck. That’s why Jun and his mom have similar names. At least, that’s what Kashihara-sensei told me when I was helping him out with his project on the history of Sumaru City.”

“Why would you help him with that, Tatsuya-kun?” Ulala wondered.

Katsuya fixed his glasses’ position. “The Suou family is one of the founder clans of Sumaru City, alongside many others, including the Kuroda family.”

Maya nodded. “I heard my own family was among them, and that I was named after Maihime, my ancestor who lived at the same time as Junnosuke. But that’s all I know about them, I’m afraid.”

“I _could_ fill you guys in about the history of the Suou family in the beginnings of the city, but that’s not why we’re here,” Tatsuya noted. “But since we’re at the shrine, we might as well leave an offering for it.”

Katsuya frowned as he looked closer at the shrine. “Do you think people leave money here? I mean, I wouldn’t mind, but does somebody maintain this? It looks like it hasn’t seen any care for a while.”

The youth shrugged in answer. “Not as far as I’m aware of, but considering how close it is to the sanitarium, it probably couldn’t be taken care off. Explains why all those demons are running rampant.” He turned to Maya. “Are you leaving money? I don’t… really have something to offer to Junnosuke.”

“Yeah, the money we’ve been collecting from the demons should work, it’s burning a hole in my coin purse…”

While Maya took out the overfilled purse, Ulala turned to the rest of the group. “You know, I’ve been thinking. Where _do_ the demons get this money, anyway? It’s confirmed to be actual money, but I can’t figure out where they would get it.”

Baofu’s lips stretched into a straight line. “That’s actually a really good question, Serizawa. From forgotten shrines like these ones? Demons are based on beings such as gods and-”

“THEY’RE STERILIZED OFFERINGS TO THE TOILET GODS.”

The four adults turned to Tatsuya after his outburst, Maya holding a coin as she was about to insert it into the shrine. Katsuya took a deep breath.

“Tatsuya. I know you hate traditional toilets, but...”

“But it makes sense, right?! Where else do the coins you lose go? They get sterilized and placed into the hands of demons!” He looked at everyone. “You guys agree with me, right?”

“It’s when you say shit like that, that I get worried for you,” Katsuya pointed out with a sigh, rubbing his forehead. “Please tell me you slept last night.”

Tatsuya nodded. “Five hours. Is that good?”

The older brother sighed again, passing a hand through his hair. “I mean, it’s better than no sleep...”

Maya walked back to the group. “Well, I gave the shrine ten thousand yen, and I still have money left over,” she announced. “I didn’t realize demons gave you so much money...”

Baofu shrugged. “We’ll just have to spend it quickly, in that case. And try to get more cards so we don’t get too much money in the first place.”

“...Considering the economy, that has to be the strangest advice I’ve ever heard,” Tatsuya commented. Katsuya looked at him from the side of his eyes. “What? It’s true! The economy’s still in the toilet! If anyone can acknowledge that, it’s you, _aniki_.”

The detective sighed. “I mean… I’m not saying you’re wrong, it’s just… I don’t think this is a subject to be talking about right now.” He turned his head. “Look… the sanitarium is close by,” he pointed out with both words and a finger. “We have to get ready to face Subject #501… Sudou.”

Everything, from the expression to the posture, just dropped on Tatsuya. “I… I’ll need your help steeling through this, guys. I have to do this- don’t try to persuade me otherwise. If I don’t do this, then…”

“Come on, Tatsuya-kun.” Maya placed a hand against his shoulder blade. “Leaving you behind would be a bad mistake. You’re our analyzer… as long as you’re with us, we can positively defeat anyone who stands in our way!”

He cringed in reply. “Maya-nee, that’s… that’s not how you should think positively.” The hint of a smile then appeared on his lips. “But thanks… that’s what I needed right now.”

Baofu looked over to the sanitarium. “Whenever you’re ready, Tatsuya… we’re going in.”

The youth took a deep breath. “Alright. It’s now or never.” He clenched his fists. “Let’s go… let’s end this charade... for JOKER’s victims.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Origin- Anastasia OST  
> All colorized text has been changed to underline.


End file.
